Japanese symbol for “cuckoo”
閑古鳥
かんこどり
Romaji: kankodori
cuckoo
In Japanese, cuckoo is 閑古鳥, read かんこどり (kankodori).
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 cuckoo
Written forms: 閑古鳥、閑子鳥、かんこ鳥. Readings: かんこどり.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “cuckoo”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| クックー | クックー kukkuu | cuckoo |
| 合法鳥 | がっぽうどり gappoudori | cuckoo |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 閑静 | かんせい kansei | quiet (e.g. neighbourhood); peaceful; tranquil |
| 閑散 | かんさん kansan | deserted (esp. store, market, town, streets); quiet; still |
| 農閑期 | のうかんき noukanki | slack season for farmers; leisure season for farmers |
| 長閑 | のどか nodoka | tranquil; calm; quiet |
| 有閑 | ゆうかん yuukan | leisured |
| 古い | ふるい furui | old; aged; ancient |
| 古代 | こだい kodai | ancient times; distant past; antiquity |
| 中古 | ちゅうこ chuuko | used; second-hand; old |
| 白鳥 | はくちょう hakuchou | swan (Cygnus spp.) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “cuckoo”.
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.