雞
chickens, domestic fowl
Strokes18
Readings
On'yomi
- ケイ
Kun'yomi
- にわとり
- とり
Meaning
雞 centers on domesticated fowl, specifically chickens. It refers to the bird as a household animal rather than wild birds.
Study
Etymology
雞 combines 奚 (which likely contributes the sound) with 隹 (bird), forming a character for a specific kind of bird, the chicken.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 奚 looks like a hand over a tied-up creature, and the right side 隹 is a bird. Picture a hand holding a domestic fowl: a chicken.
Reading mnemonic
For ケイ, imagine a chicken pecking at a cake: cake -> ケイ, and the chicken eats the cake.