Skip to content
Kotomora

禽

bird, captive, capture

StatusJinmeiyōStrokes13

Readings

On'yomi

  • キン

Kun'yomi

  • とり
  • とりこ

Meaning

禽 centers on a bird that is caught or kept: a captive bird, or the act of capturing. The bird sense is closely tied to the idea of being taken or held.

Most common words using 禽

20 of 21
  • 猛禽もうきん

    raptor; bird of prey; predatory bird

  • 家禽かきん

    (domestic) fowl; poultry

  • 亜鳴禽類あめいきんるい

    suboscines (songbirds of suborder Tyranni)

  • 家禽コレラかきんコレラ

    fowl cholera

  • 家禽ペストかきんペスト

    fowl pest

  • 家禽類かきんるい

    domestic poultry

  • 攀禽類はんきんるい

    climbers (birds formerly grouped in order Scansores)

  • 日本家禽学会にっぽんかきんがっかい

    Japan Poultry Science Association; JPSA

  • 水禽すいきん

    waterfowl; aquatic bird

  • 渉禽類しょうきんるい

    wading birds

  • 猛禽類もうきんるい

    birds of prey (of order Falconiformes or Strigiformes); raptors

  • 禽獣きんじゅう

    birds and beasts; beast; brute; (dumb) animal

  • 禽竜きんりゅう

    iguanodon

  • 禽舎きんしゃ

    poultry shed

  • 禽類きんるい

    birds

  • 禽鳥きんちょう

    birds

  • 良禽は木を択んで棲むりょうきんはきをえらんですむ

    a wise retainer chooses a great lord to serve; a wise bird chooses a good tree in which to roost

  • 走禽類そうきんるい

    cursorial birds; runners

  • 野禽やきん

    wild birds

  • 鳴禽めいきん

    songbird; oscine

Explore all words using 禽 →

Study

Etymology

禽 is a pictograph of a net or trap for catching birds, later extended to mean the captured bird itself. The modern form retains a net-like top over a bird-like lower shape.

Meaning mnemonic

The top looks like a net or trap, and the bottom resembles a bird. Picture a bird caught under a net: 禽 is a captive bird or the act of capturing.

Reading mnemonic

For キン, imagine a keen-eyed bird trapped under the net: keen -> キン, and the bird is captured.