くちばし

also: はし

く

ち

ば

し

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

beak; bill

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the hard, projecting mouthpart of a bird. Also used figuratively for beak-like shapes.

た

。

The bird caught a fish with its long beak.

くちばしの黄き色いろい小こ鳥とりがかわいい。

The small bird with a yellow beak is cute.

嘴くちばしで〈物もの〉をつつくto peck at something with one's beak
小こ鳥どりが嘴くちばしで餌えさをつついている。
The little bird is pecking at its food with its beak.
嘴くちばしが黄き色いろいto be inexperienced or young (lit. to have a yellow beak, like a fledgling)
彼かれはまだ嘴くちばしが黄き色いろい新しん人じんだ。
He's still a green newcomer.

口くちN5
口 is the general word for a person's or animal's mouth, while くちばし refers specifically to a bird's hard, projecting beak.

本ほんN5
book; volume; script · this; present; current; in question · main; head; principal · real; genuine; regular; proper · counter for long cylindrical objects; counter for films, TV shows, etc.; counter for goals, home runs, etc.; counter for telephone calls

くちばしUsage51%
Usually written in kana.
嘴Usage42%
- くちばし
  Standard kanji form, but kana is more common in everyday writing.

From 口端, literally “mouth-tip.” The older reading くちはし became くちばし through sequential voicing.

はし

クチバシUsage7%

kana-only spelling

喙くちばしUsage<1%

rarely-used kanji form

Rarely used kanji form.

觜はし

Rare kanji variant; reading はし is uncommon.

はし