Usage patterns 〈 物もの 〉 は 羽う 毛もう でできている X is made of down/feathers
This cushion is made of down.
羽う 毛もう が 抜ぬ ける feathers fall out/molt
The bird's feathers had fallen out and were lying on the floor.
羽う 毛もう を 集あつ める to gather/collect down
The craftsman gathered down to make the futon.
Kanji 羽 feathers, counter for birds, rabbits Related words 羽毛 refers to feathers collectively, especially soft down, and is more formal, while 羽 usually means a single feather or wing.
羽毛 is the standard Japanese word for down/feathers, while ダウン is a loanword typically used for down as a product material (e.g. down jackets, down comforters).
羽毛 is the more specific, often formal term for down or feathers (as in bedding), while 毛 can loosely describe a bird's soft covering too.
羽毛 is the standard, concrete word for feathers or down, whereas 羽衣 is a figurative, literary expression for plumage.
Etymology Composed of 羽 (う , 'feather') and 毛 (もう , 'hair/fur'). The reading うもう is the standard on'yomi compound reading.
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