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Kotomora

鷸

kingfisher, snipe

Strokes23

Readings

On'yomi

  • イツ

Kun'yomi

  • しぎ

Meaning

鷸 centers on long-billed wading birds: the kingfisher and the snipe. Both are water birds with distinctive long beaks, so the character unites them under that shared visual idea.

Most common words using 鷸

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  • 鷸しぎ

    sandpiper (any bird of family Scolopacidae, incl. the curlews, godwits, phalaropes, redshanks, ruff, snipes, turnstones, and woodcocks)

  • アメリカ大杓鷸アメリカだいしゃくしぎ

    long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus)

  • アメリカ鰭足鷸アメリカひれあししぎ

    Wilson's phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)

  • メリケン黄脚鷸メリケンきあししぎ

    wandering tattler (Tringa incana)

  • 中杓鷸ちゅうしゃくしぎ

    whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

  • 京女鷸きょうじょしぎ

    ruddy turnstone (species of sandpiper, Arenaria interpres)

  • 反嘴背高鷸そりはしせいたかしぎ

    pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

  • 反嘴鷸そりはししぎ

    Terek sandpiper (Xenus cinereus)

  • 大地鷸おおじしぎ

    Latham's snipe (Gallinago hardwickii)

  • 大杓鷸だいしゃくしぎ

    Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata)

  • 尾黒鷸おぐろしぎ

    black-tailed godwit (species of sandpiper, Limosa limosa)

  • 山鷸やましぎ

    Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)

  • 灰色鰭足鷸はいいろひれあししぎ

    red phalarope; grey phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)

  • 田鷸たしぎ

    common snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

  • 箆鷸へらしぎ

    spoon-billed sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea)

  • 襟巻鷸えりまきしぎ

    ruff; reeve (species of sandpiper, Philomachus pugnax)

  • 赤襟鰭足鷸あかえりひれあししぎ

    red-necked phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)

  • 赤足鷸あかあししぎ

    common redshank (Tringa totanus)

  • 青鷸あおしぎ

    solitary snipe (Gallinago solitaria)

  • 鰭足鷸ひれあししぎ

    phalarope (any sandpiper of family Phalaropodidae)

Explore all words using 鷸 →

Study

Etymology

鷸 combines 鳥 (bird) with 矞, which likely contributes the sound. The character was created to name specific long-billed water birds.

Meaning mnemonic

The right side is 鳥 (bird), and the left side 矞 looks like a long spear-like beak piercing through something. Picture a kingfisher or snipe with that long beak hunting by the water.

Reading mnemonic

For イツ, imagine an itsy-bitsy snipe with a surprisingly long beak: itsy -> イツ, and the tiny bird is a snipe.