ヨタカ

noun

grey nightjar (Caprimulgus indicus)

Specific species; in everyday use, often just called ヨタカ without species distinction.

• ヨタカは夜や行こう性せいの鳥とりで、昼ひる間まは木きの枝えだに止とまって休やすむ。

  The grey nightjar is a nocturnal bird that rests on tree branches during the day.

noun

nightjar (any bird of family Caprimulgidae); goatsucker

General term for nightjars; 'goatsucker' is an old English name rarely used today.

• ヨタカの仲なか間まは世せ界かい中じゅうに広ひろく分ぶん布ぷしている。

  Nightjars are widely distributed around the world.

noun

streetwalker (Edo period); low-class prostitute

Only when written 夜鷹

Historical term from the Edo period; written 夜鷹, referring to women who walked the streets at night. Not used in modern Japanese.

• 江え戸ど時じ代だい、夜よ鷹たかと呼よばれる女じょ性せいたちが夜よるの街まちに立たっていた。

  In the Edo period, women called yotaka stood on the streets at night.

noun

nighttime soba vendor; soba sold at night

Only when written 夜鷹

Abbreviation of 夜鷹蕎麦; refers to Edo-period vendors who sold soba from portable stalls at night, or the soba itself. Historical term.

See also: 夜鷹そば

• 夜よ鷹たか蕎麦そばは、夜よるに屋や台たいで売うられていたそばのことだ。

  Yotaka soba was soba sold from street stalls at night.