General names
Information is based on dictionaries and other sources. Species list may not be current. Korean glosses are only tentative. Comments and corrections welcome.
The most common Japanese word for 'kingfisher' is カワセミ kawa-semi. Kawa means 'river'. Semi means 'kingfisher', although semi never occurs by itself as an independent word. This name specifically refers to Alcedo atthis. The cerylid kingfishers are known as ヤマセミ yama-semi 'mountain kingfisher'.
Naturalists call the halcyon kingfishers ショウビン shōbin. Originally, ショウビン shōbin was an alternative name for the カワセミ kawa-semi, although much less familiar to the layman.
The writing of these names in Chinese characters is a complex and confusing affair.
There is no single Chinese character that can be used to write カワセミ kawa-semi 'river kingfisher'. The following methods have been used:
(1) 翡翠, from the Chinese word fěicuì 'kingfisher', is read kawa-semi. 翡翠 is normally read hisui in Japanese and, as in Chinese, is generally used to mean 'jadeite'.
(2) 魚狗 'fish-dog' (Chinese yú-gǒu) is sometimes also used to write kawa-semi.
(3) 川蝉 kawa-semi, literally 'river cicada'. Although semi 'cicada' and semi 'kingfisher' are different words, the character 蝉 'cicada' is used for the kingfishers due to the shared pronunciation.
In Chinese characters, ヤマセミ yama-semi is written with the character 山 yama 'mountain' plus the Chinese names of the kingfishers:
(1) 山翡翠, i.e., 山 yama 'mountain' plus 翡翠 (Chinese 翡翠 fěicuì 'kingfisher').
(2) 山魚狗 i.e., 山 yama 'mountain' plus 魚狗, 'fish-dog' (Chinese 魚狗 yú-gǒu).
The third possible method, 山蝉 yama-semi, literally 'mountain cicada', appears to be used only for cicadas.
Finally, ショウビン shōbin is also written with the characters 翡翠, from Chinese 翡翠 fěicuì 'kingfisher'.
The result of this ad hoc use of Chinese characters is that:
- 翡翠 may be read kawa-semi, shōbin, or hisui.
- 山翡翠 may be read yama-semi or yama-shōbin.
Species names
| HALCYONINAE |
SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN |
JAPANESE |
CHINESE |
KOREAN |
| Halcyon |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Latin |
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru |
Japanese |
Other J |
Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Korean |
Halcyon coromanda
 |
Ruddy kingfisher
Martin-chasseur violet
Feuerliest
Рыжий зимородок |
アカショウビン
(赤翡翠)
aka shōbin
'red shōbin' (shōbin written with the Chinese word 翡翠 'kingfisher') |
ミズコイドリ
(水恋鳥)
mizu-koi-dori
'water love bird'
ミヤマショウビン
(深山翡翠)
miyama shōbin
'deep mountain shōbin' |
赤翡翠
(赤翡翠)
chì fěicuì
'red fěicuì' |
(赤翡翠)
赤翡翠
chì fěicuì
'red fěicuì' |
|
호반새
hoban-sae
'lakeside (?) bird' |
Halcyon pileata
|
Black-capped kingfisher
Martin-chasseur à coiffe noire
Kappenliest
Зимородок ошейниковый |
ヤマショウビン
(山翡翠)
yama shōbin
'mountain shōbin' (shōbin written with the Chinese word 翡翠 'kingfisher') |
|
蓝翡翠
(藍翡翠)
lán fěicuì
'blue fěicuì' |
(黑头翡翠)
黑頭翡翠
hēi-tóu fěicuì
'black-headed fěicuì' |
蓝翠鸟
(藍翠鳥)
lán cuì-niǎo
'blue kingfisher' (see Aledinid kingfishers)
蓝翠毛
(藍翠毛)
lán cuì-máo
'blue kingfisher feather'
喜鹊翠
(喜鵲翠)
xǐquè-cuì
'magpie kingfisher'
黑帽鱼狗
(黑帽魚狗)
hēi-mào yú-gǒu
'black-capped fish-dog'
秦椒鸟
(秦椒鳥)
qín-jiāo-niǎo
'Qin pepper bird'
山鴗
(山鴗)
shān-lì
'mountain kingfisher' |
청호반새
cheong-hoban-sae
'blue lakeside-bird' |
| Todiramphus |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Latin |
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru |
Japanese |
Other J |
Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Korean |
Todiramphus chloris
Todirhamphus chloris
Halcyon chloris
|
Collared kingfisher
White-collared kingfisher
Martin-chasseur à collier blanc
Halsbandliest |
ナンヨウショウビン
(南洋翡翠)
nan'yō shōbin
'south seas shōbin' (shōbin written with the Chinese word 翡翠 'kingfisher') |
|
白领翡翠
(白領翡翠)
bái-lǐng fěicuì
'white-collared fěicuì' |
(白领翡翠)
白領翡翠
bái-lǐng fěicuì
'white-collared fěicuì' |
白领翠鸟
(白領翠鳥)
bái-lǐng cuì-niǎo
'white-collared cuì bird' |
|
|
| |
| ALCEDININAE |
SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN |
JAPANESE |
CHINESE |
KOREAN |
| Alcedo |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Latin |
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru |
Japanese |
Other J |
Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Korean |
Alcedo atthis
|
Common kingfisher
River kingfisher
Martin-pêcheur d'Europe
Eisvogel
Обыкновенный зимородок |
カワセミ
(翡翠 ~ 川蝉 ~ 魚狗)
kawa-semi
'river kingfisher' (written with 1. the characters 翡翠 hisui 'kingfisher', 2. 'river cicada', or 3. 魚狗 'fish-dog', from Chinese) |
ヒスイ
(翡翠)
hisui
'kingfisher', from Chinese fěicuì;
also means 'jadeite'
ショウビン
(翡翠)
shōbin
'shōbin', written with the characters for hisui
ソニドリ
(鴗)
soni-dori
'soni bird' (old name, used as a poetic qualifier for 'blue')
ソニ
(鴗)
soni
'soni' (old name) |
普通翠鸟
(普通翠鳥)
pǔtōng cuì-niǎo
'common cuì bird'
|
(翠鸟)
翠鳥
cuì-niǎo
'cuì bird' |
翡翠
(翡翠)
fěicuì
'fěicuì'
小翠鱼狗
(小翠魚狗)
xiǎo cuì yú-gǒu
'small cuì fish-dog'
小翠鸟
(小翠鳥)
xiǎo cuì-niǎo
'small cuì bird'
鱼狗
(魚狗)
yú-gǒu
'fish-dog'
小鱼狗
(小魚狗)
xiǎo yú-gǒu
'small fish-dog'
天狗
(天狗)
tiān-gǒu
'heaven dog'
水狗
(水狗)
shuǐ-gǒu
'water dog'
水雀
(水雀)
shuǐ-qiǎo
'water sparrow'
翠雀儿
(翠雀兒)
cuì-qiǎor
'cuì sparrow' (Northern)
钓鱼郎
(釣魚郎)
diào-yú-láng
'fisherman'
打鱼郎
(打魚郎)
dǎ-yú-láng
'fisherman'
金鸟仔
(金鳥仔)
jīn niǎo zǎi
'golden bird' (Southern)
鱼虎
(魚虎)
yú-hǔ
'fish tiger' (Materia Medica)
翊
(翊)
yì
'yi' (literary)
鴗
(鴗)
lì
'li' (old)
翠碧鸟
(翠碧鳥)
cuìbì-niǎo
'cuì blue bird'
鱼师
(魚師)
yú-shī
'fisher'
翠奴
(翠奴)
cuì-nǔ
'cuì fellow'
信天缘
(信天緣)
xìn-tiān-yuán
'believe heaven fate' (also used for albatross)
青翰
(青翰)
qīng-hàn
'green/blue feathers'
青庄
(青庄)
qīng-zhuāng
'green fields'
青羽雀
(青羽雀)
qīng yǔ què
'green/blue-feathered sparrow'
衔鱼翠鸟
(銜魚翠鳥)
xián-yú cuì-niǎo
'hold fish cuì bird' |
물총새
mul-chong-sae
'water chong bird' |
|
| |
| CERYLINAE |
SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN |
JAPANESE |
CHINESE |
KOREAN |
| Megaceryle |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Latin |
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru |
Japanese |
Other J |
Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Korean |
Megaceryle lugubris
Ceryle lugubris
|
Crested kingfisher
Greater pied kingfisher
Crested pied kingfisher
Pied kingfisher
Martin-pêcheur tacheté
Trauerfischer
Большой пегий зимородок |
ヤマセミ
(山翡翠 ~ 山魚狗)
yama-semi
'mountain kingfisher' (written 1. 山 'mountain' + 翡翠 'kingfisher', from Chinese, or 2. 山 'mountain' + 魚狗 'fish-dog' from Chinese) |
カノコショウビン
(鹿の子翡翠)
kanoko-shōbin
'deer-kingfisher' (shōbin written with the Chinese word 翡翠 'kingfisher') |
冠鱼狗
(冠魚狗)
guān yú-gǒu
'crested fish-dog'
|
|
水葱花
(水葱花)
shuǐ cōng-huā
'water shallot-flower'
大啄鱼
(大啄魚)
dà zhuó-yú
'large peck-fish'
斑鴗
bān lì
'striped li'
花鱼狗
(花鱼狗)
huā yú-gǒu
'flowery fish-dog'
花钓鱼郎
(花釣魚郎)
huā diào-yú-láng
'flowery fisherman' |
뿔호반새
ppul-hoban-sae
'horned lakeside bird' |
|
ABOUT THIS TABLE (Hover cursor to see) 
