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カラス (からす, karasu) Japanese meaning: crow | Kotomora

カラス

か

ら

す

Common word›JLPTN1›Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

crow; raven

usually written using kana alone

General term for crows and ravens (Corvus spp.). In everyday Japanese, カラス usually refers to the large-billed crow or carrion crow.

朝あさ、カラスがうるさく鳴ないていた。

In the morning, a crow was cawing loudly.

公こう園えんでカラスがゴミをあさっていた。

A crow was rummaging through the trash in the park.

Usage patterns

カラスが鳴なくa crow cries/calls
朝あさ早はやくからカラスが鳴ないていた。
The crows were cawing from early morning.
カラスがごみを荒あらすcrows scatter/rummage through the garbage
収しゅう集しゅう日びの朝あさ、カラスがごみを荒あらしていた。
On collection morning, crows were rummaging through the garbage.
カラスの群むれa flock of crows
公こう園えんの木きにカラスの群むれが集あつまっていた。
A flock of crows had gathered in the park's trees.

Expressions

烏からすの足あし跡あとcrow's feet (wrinkles)
闇やみ夜よに烏からすsomething indistinct; a crow in a pitch-black night
闇やみ夜よの烏からすsomething indistinct; hard to tell apart
今いま泣ないた烏からすがもう笑わらうa child's emotions change easily; the bird that cried now laughs
権ごん兵べ衛えが種たね蒔まきゃ烏からすがほじくるspoiling someone's work; useless effort; labouring in vain

Kanji

烏crow, raven
鴉crow, raven

Related words

クロウ
カラス is the native, everyday Japanese word for crow, while クロウ is a rarer loanword used mainly in specialized or English-influenced contexts.

Don't confuse with

ハシブトガラス
カラス is the everyday umbrella term for crows, while ハシブトガラス names the specific large-billed species that カラス usually refers to in Japan.
ワタリガラス
カラス covers crows and ravens generally, whereas ワタリガラス specifies the larger common raven species.

Counted with

羽わN3
For birds — and, by tradition, rabbits (一羽).
匹ひきN3
In everyday speech, birds are often counted with 匹, though 羽 is the traditional counter for birds.

Word family· 35

烏からす天てん狗ぐ
crow-billed tengu; small tengu with a crow's beak
烏からす口ぐち
ruling pen
京きょう烏がらす
Kyoto merchant · well-informed and loose-lipped Kyotoite
初はつ烏がらす
first crow of the New Year

Written forms

カラスUsage60%
kana-only spelling
The word is usually written in kana; katakana is the most common practical spelling.
烏からすUsage20%
Kanji form; rarely used in modern writing. The reading からす is not obvious from the kanji.
鴉からすUsage14%
Variant kanji form; very rare.
からすUsage6%
Hiragana spelling, also common.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. May be related to the sound of the bird's call, or possibly from 黒し (kuroshi, 'black'). The kanji 烏 is a pictograph of a crow, but the reading からす is not derived from the kanji.

夜よ烏がらす

night crow; crow at night

Show 7 more

寒かん烏がらす
crow in winter
山やま烏がらす
crow in the mountains · jungle crow; large-billed crow · rook · dark-skinned person
だけがらす
spotted nutcracker
明あけ烏がらす
crow cawing at dawn; daybreak crow · poetry anthology named 'Akegarasu'
ホシガラス
spotted nutcracker
カワガラス
brown dipper
ウミガラス
common murre; common guillemot

See all 35 in Explore →