noun
parakeet; small parrot
Refers to small parrots commonly kept as pets, such as budgerigars, cockatiels, lovebirds, and similar species. In everyday use, インコ is the typical word for these birds, while larger parrots are usually called オウム.
うちのインコは「おはよう」と言える。
Our parakeet can say 'good morning'.
ペットショップで青いインコを買った。
I bought a blue parakeet at the pet shop.
Rarely used kanji form; mainly encountered in older or specialized texts.
オウム refers to larger parrots such as cockatoos and macaws, while インコ is used for smaller species like parakeets and lovebirds.
The exact origin is uncertain. The word may be derived from the sound of the bird's call, or possibly from a foreign loanword. The kanji forms 鸚哥 and 音呼 are ateji (phonetic equivalents) and are rarely used.