ヒタキ

ヒ

タ

キ

Meanings

Old World flycatcher

usually written using kana alone

Refers to any bird of the family Muscicapidae, especially the typical flycatchers of subfamily Muscicapinae. A technical ornithological term; in everyday contexts, the katakana name is used.

ヒタキは日本にほんでも見みられる小こ鳥とりです。
The Old World flycatcher is a small bird that can also be seen in Japan.
図ず鑑かんでヒタキの仲なか間まを調しらべた。
I looked up flycatcher species in the field guide.

Kanji

鶲crested flycatcher, peewee
火fire
焼bake, burning

Word family

ジョウビタキ
Daurian redstart
ノビタキ
common stonechat
キビタキ
narcissus flycatcher
ハシグロヒタキ
northern wheatear
コサメビタキ
Asian brown flycatcher
ルリビタキ
red-flanked bluetail

Written forms

ヒタキUsage71%
kana-only spelling
Usually written in katakana for this bird name; usually written in kana.
鶲ひたきUsage29%
Rare kanji spelling; the character 鶲 is a kokuji specifically for this bird, but it is seldom used in practice.
ひたき
Hiragana spelling is also used, but katakana is more common for animal names.
火焼ひたき
Ateji spelling; very rare and not recommended for learners.

Etymology

The Japanese name ヒタキ (火焚き) originally meant 'fire-lighter' or 'fire-keeper', possibly from the bird's habit of flicking its tail like a flame, or from its reddish breast resembling fire. The kanji 鶲 is a kokuji created for this bird.