also: ぶんぼちょう
noun
grey nightjar (Caprimulgus indicus)
Specific species; in everyday use, often just called ヨタカ without species distinction.
ヨタカは夜行性の鳥で、昼間は木の枝に止まって休む。
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.
ヨタカの仲間は世界中に広く分布している。
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.
江戸時代、夜鷹と呼ばれる女性たちが夜の街に立っていた。
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: 夜鷹蕎麦
夜鷹蕎麦は、夜に屋台で売られていたそばのことだ。
Yotaka soba was soba sold from street stalls at night.
Rare kanji spelling for the bird; reading ぶんぼちょう is specific to this form.
Rare kanji spelling for the bird.
Full term for the nighttime soba vendor or the soba itself; 夜鷹 is an abbreviation.
The name ヨタカ (夜鷹) literally means 'night hawk,' referring to the bird's nocturnal habits. The historical senses derive from the bird's association with night activity.