鵺

fabulous night bird, chimera

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Readings

On'yomi

コウ
ヤ

Kun'yomi

ぬえ

Meaning

鵺 refers to a mythical creature from Japanese folklore: a chimera-like night bird with a haunting cry. The meanings center on this legendary monster.

Most common words using 鵺

鵺ぬえ
Japanese chimera; mythical creature with a monkey's head, tanuki's body, tiger's limbs, and a snake tail
鵺的ぬえてき
mysterious; strange; sphinx-like; enigmatic; noncommittal
鵺鳥ぬえどり
White's thrush (Zoothera dauma)

Explore all words using 鵺 →

Study

Etymology

鵺 is a Japanese kokuji (国字) combining 夜 (night) and 鳥 (bird) to represent the mythical nue, a creature associated with nighttime and a bird-like form.

Meaning mnemonic

A bird (鳥) that appears at night (夜): the eerie, chimera-like nue crying in the darkness.

Reading mnemonic

For コウ, imagine the nue's cry echoing through the night: a hollow, ghostly 'kohhh' sound. Koh -> コウ.