noun
General term for butterflies. Can also appear in compound words.
庭にきれいな蝶が飛んできた。
A beautiful butterfly flew into the garden.
蝶の標本を集めている。
I collect butterfly specimens.
Moth; unlike butterflies, moths are often active at night and have feathery antennae.
The kanji 蝶 is a phono-semantic compound; the exact historical derivation of the Japanese word ちょう is uncertain.