Japanese symbol for “chicken”
鶏
にわとり
Romaji: niwatori
chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus); domestic chicken
In Japanese, chicken is 鶏, read にわとり (niwatori).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus); domestic chicken
- n chicken meat
Written forms: 鶏、鷄、雞. Readings: にわとり、とり、かけ、くたかけ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “chicken”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| チキン | チキン chikin | chicken |
| 酉 | とり tori | the Rooster (tenth sign of the Chinese zodiac); the Cock; the Chicken |
| チキ | チキ chiki | chicken |
| ビビリ | ビビリ bibiri | being easily frightened; losing one's nerve; coward |
| 関路の鳥 | せきじのとり sekijinotori | chicken |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 鶏肉 | とりにく toriniku | chicken meat |
| 養鶏 | ようけい youkei | poultry raising; poultry farming; chicken farming |
| 鶏卵 | けいらん keiran | hen's egg |
| 風見鶏 | かざみどり kazamidori | weather vane |
| 雄鶏 | おんどり ondori | male bird |
| 闘鶏 | とうけい toukei | cockfight; fighting cock |
See also: Chinese symbol for “chicken”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.