つつきの順じゅん位い

Meanings

pecking order; peck order

Refers to the social hierarchy within a group, originally from the behavior of chickens. Used figuratively for human organizations.

会かい社しゃでは、つつきの順じゅん位いがはっきりしている。
In the company, the pecking order is clear.
新しん入いりはつつきの順じゅん位いの一いち番ばん下したから始はじまる。
Newcomers start at the bottom of the pecking order.

Kanji

順obey, order, turn
位rank, grade, throne
突stab, protruding, thrust

Related words

序じょ列れつ
序列 is a more formal, general term for ranking or hierarchy, while つつきの順位 specifically evokes the animal-like, often informal social pecking order.
階かい級きゅう
階級 refers to class or rank in a structured system (e.g., social class, military rank), whereas つつきの順位 is about the informal dominance hierarchy within a group.

Written forms

つつきの順じゅん位い
Standard kana-mixed spelling; the kanji 順位 is clear and common.
突つつきの順位じゅんい
Kanji spelling using 突き; less common but still seen. The reading つつき is not the most common reading of 突き, so the kana-mixed form is preferred.

Etymology

From つつき (pecking) + の (possessive particle) + 順位 (order, rank). The term is a direct translation of the English 'pecking order', which originated from observations of chicken social behavior.