鳥 — “bird” in Japanese

Grade 2ちょう, とり

Radical ⿃ · radical 196 The building block this kanji is filed under

“bird” in Japanese is 鳥, read chou, tori (ちょう, とり). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 小鳥 (little bird).

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What does 鳥 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	鳥
Meaning	bird
Readings	ちょう, とり
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	小鳥 (little bird)

How to read 鳥

鳥 is read chou (ちょう) or tori (とり) depending on the word.

Words with 鳥

小鳥
鳥が鳴く

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Kanji read the same way as 鳥

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28