キツツキ

also: たくぼくちょう · けら · けらつつき

キ

ツ

キ

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

woodpecker

usually written using kana alone

General term for woodpeckers (family Picidae). In everyday Japanese, the katakana form キツツキ is standard.

森もりの中なかでキツツキが木きをつつく音おとが聞きこえた。
I heard the sound of a woodpecker pecking at a tree in the forest.
キツツキは長ながいくちばしで木きに穴あなをあける。
Woodpeckers drill holes in trees with their long beaks.

See all 14 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

キツツキが木きを叩たたくa woodpecker pecks/drums on a tree
キツツキが木きを叩たたく音おとが森もりに響ひびいた。
The sound of a woodpecker pecking at a tree echoed through the forest.

Kanji

啄peck, pick up
木tree, wood
鳥bird, chicken

Related words

啄たく木ぼく
啄木 is a literary/poetic term for woodpecker used in classical or formal contexts, while 啄木鳥(キツツキ) is the everyday word.

Counted with

羽わN3
As a bird, 啄木鳥 is naturally counted with 羽, though 匹 (used for animals in general) is also possible.

Word family

ハシボソキツツキ
northern flicker
ドングリキツツキ
acorn woodpecker
シルスイキツツキ
yellow-bellied sapsucker
オリーブヒメキツツキ
olivaceous piculet

Written forms

キツツキUsage44%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is the most common practical written form; usually written in kana.
けらUsage26%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Archaic or dialectal name for woodpecker; may also refer to a mole cricket in modern Japanese. The reading is a gikun for 啄木鳥.
啄木鳥Usage14%
- きつつき
  gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
  Literary or formal kanji spelling; rarely used in everyday writing. The reading きつつき is a jukujikun for this kanji form.
- たくぼくちょう
  Alternate on'yomi reading of the same kanji form; very rare and mostly found in older or specialized texts.
- けら
  gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
- けらつつき
  gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
きつつきUsage14%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Hiragana spelling is also used, especially in children's books or informal writing.
ケラUsage2%
けらつつき
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Compound reading combining けら and つつき; very rare and possibly historical or regional.
たくぼくちょう

Etymology

The word きつつき is of native Japanese origin, likely from the sound of pecking (擬声語). The kanji 啄木鳥 is a Chinese-derived compound meaning 'peck-wood-bird' and is read with the jukujikun きつつき. The reading たくぼくちょう is the on'yomi of the same characters. The forms けら and けらつつき are older or dialectal variants.