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Words Kanji Guides About

カワセミ

か

わ

せ

み

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

kingfisher; common kingfisher

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the bird species Alcedo atthis, a small brightly colored bird often seen near water.

川かわのそばでカワセミを見みつけた。
I spotted a kingfisher by the river.
カワセミは美うつくしい青あおい羽はねを持もっている。
The kingfisher has beautiful blue feathers.

Written forms

カワセミUsage55%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this bird name; usually written in kana.
かわせみUsage24%
Hiragana spelling is also common; usually written in kana.
翡翠かわせみUsage21%
Kanji spelling is rare and may be confused with the gemstone 翡翠 (ひすい).
川かわ蝉せみ
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
魚狗かわせみ
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

Kanji

翡kingfisher
翠green, kingfisher
川stream, river, river or three-stroke river radical (no. 47)
蝉cicada
魚fish
狗puppy, dog

Etymology

The name カワセミ literally means 'river cicada' or 'river clear-water', but the exact derivation is uncertain. The kanji 翡翠 is also used for the gemstone jadeite, likely due to the bird's vivid colors.