ミズナギドリ

み

ず

な

ぎ

ど

り

Meanings

1

noun

petrel; shearwater

usually written using kana alone

Refers to seabirds of the family Procellariidae, especially petrels and shearwaters. The name describes their flight pattern of skimming low over the water surface.

ミズナギドリは海かい面めんすれすれを飛とぶ海うみ鳥どりです。

The petrel is a seabird that flies just above the water surface.

この海かい域いきではミズナギドリの群むれがよく見みられる。

Flocks of shearwaters are often seen in this sea area.

Kanji

水water
薙mow down (the enemy)
鳥bird, chicken
凪lull, calm, (kokuji)

Related words

アホウドリ
Albatross; a larger seabird with longer wings, known for dynamic soaring rather than the low skimming flight of petrels.
ウミツバメ
Storm petrel; a smaller relative that also flies low over water, but often patters its feet on the surface.

Word family

オオミズナギドリ
streaked shearwater

Written forms

ミズナギドリ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this bird name; usually written in kana.
水みず薙なぎ鳥どり
Rare kanji spelling; the character 薙 means 'mow down', referring to the bird's low flight over water.
水みず凪なぎ鳥どり
Rare kanji spelling; 凪 means 'calm', perhaps referring to the bird's gliding flight.

Etymology

The name ミズナギドリ (水薙鳥) literally means 'water-mowing bird', from the way these birds fly low over the sea as if mowing the surface. The kanji 薙 means 'to mow down'.