雀
sparrow
Readings
On'yomi
- ジャク
- ジャン
- サク
- シャク
Kun'yomi
- すずめ
Nanori
- ざく
Meaning
雀 centers on the small, lively bird: a sparrow. The character itself visually suggests a small bird with a compact body and short tail.
Most common words using 雀
20 of 117- 麻雀マージャンN1
mahjong; mah-jongg
- 雀すずめN1
tree sparrow (Passer montanus)
- 孔雀くじゃく
peafowl (incl. the male peacock, female peahen, and young peachick)
- 朱雀すざく
Vermilion Bird (god said to rule over the southern heavens)
- 雲雀ひばりN1
skylark (Alauda arvensis)
- 金糸雀カナリア
canary (esp. the island canary, Serinus canaria)
- 四十雀しじゅうから
Japanese tit (Parus minor); Oriental tit
- 雀の涙すずめのなみだN1
drop in the bucket; pittance; chicken feed; insignificant amount; sparrow tears
- アメリカ小雀アメリカこがら
black-capped chickadee (Parus atricapillus)
- インド孔雀インドくじゃく
Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus); common peafowl; blue peafowl
- カロライナ小雀カロライナこがら
Carolina chickadee (Parus carolinensis)
- 三人麻雀さんにんマージャン
three-player mahjong; sanma
- 三筋琉球雀鯛みすじりゅうきゅうすずめだい
whitetail dascyllus (Dascyllus aruanus); humbug dascyllus; banded dascyllus; white-tailed damselfish
- 乙女孔雀おとめくじゃく
Adiantum edgeworthii (species of maidenhair fern)
- 五十雀ごじゅうから
Eurasian nuthatch (Sitta europaea)
- 京雀きょうすずめ
gossipy Kyotoite
- 入内雀にゅうないすずめ
russet sparrow (Passer rutilans); cinnamon sparrow
- 冠海雀かんむりうみすずめ
Japanese murrelet (Synthliboramphus wumizusume); crested murrelet
- 十二雀じゅうにから
willow tit (Parus montanus)
- 四十雀雁しじゅうからがん
Aleutian Canada goose (Branta canadensis leucopareia)
Study
Etymology
雀 combines 小 (small) with 隹 (short-tailed bird), together suggesting a small bird, i.e., a sparrow.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 小 means small, and the bottom 隹 is a bird with a short tail. Picture a tiny, chirpy sparrow: small bird = 雀.
Reading mnemonic
For ジャク, imagine a sparrow landing on a jack-o'-lantern: jack -> ジャク, and the small bird pecks at the pumpkin.