General names
Information is based on dictionaries and other sources. Species list may not be current. Comments and corrections welcome.
There is a rich variety of names for the cuckoos in Japanese. This stems partly from a preoccupation with the cuckoo's distinctive calls in traditional culture, especially poetry. As in other cultures, names tend to reflect the cry of the birds. They include:
| Name | Characters | Referent | Notes |
| カッコウ kakkō |
郭公 | General name for cuckoos. | Name borrowed from Chinese |
| ホトトギス hototogisu |
時鳥, 杜鵑, 不如帰 | Cuculus poliocephalus. | Famous in traditional Japanese poetry as a bird of early summer. Many literary names, some reflecting the belief that the bird crosses over from the afterworld |
| ツツドリ tsutsu-dori |
筒鳥 'pipe bird' |
Cuculus saturatus | So named because voice resembles the hitting of a pipe |
| ジュウイチ jū-ichi |
十一 'eleven' | Cuculus fugax | Name reflects call |
Many literary names of the cuckoos have been borrowed from Chinese (for examples, see the main table of species names).
In Japanese haiku, the Lesser cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus) or hototogisu is a season word for summer. Hototogisu is written with a variety of Chinese characters: 時鳥, 子規, 杜鵑, 不如帰, 郭公, mostly derived from Chinese.
The Common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), referred to as the 閑古鳥 kanko-dori, 郭公 kakkō, かっこ鳥 kakko-dori, or by other names, is also a season word for summer.
The forlorn cry of the cuckoo is the origin of the expression 閑古鳥が鳴いている kanko-dori ga naite iru 'The cuckoo is calling', used to describe a place (shop, theatre, etc.) that is deserted of visitors or customers.
Species names
ABOUT THIS TABLE (Hover cursor to see) 
| CUCULINAE | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN |
JAPANESE |
CHINESE |
KOREAN |
||||
Latin |
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru |
Japanese |
Other J |
Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Korean |
| Clamator | |||||||
Clamator coromandus |
Chestnut-winged cuckoo Red-winged crested cuckoo Coucou à collier Koromandelkuckuck |
カンムリカッコウ (冠郭公) kanmuri kakkō 'crested cuckoo' |
红翅凤头鹃 (紅翅鳳頭鵑) 'red-winged phoenix-headed cuckoo' |
冠郭公 'crested guogong' |
밤색날개뻐꾸기 bamsaeng-nalgae-ppeokkugi 'chestnut-winged cuckoo' |
||
| Cuculus | |||||||
| Cuculus fugax Hierococcyx fugax |
Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo Fugitive hawk cuckoo Coucou fugitif Fluchtkuckuck Ширококрылая кукушка |
ジュウイチ (十一) jū-ichi 'ju-ichi' (from the bird's cry), written 'eleven' |
棕腹杜鹃 (棕腹杜鵑) 'reddish-brown-bellied cuckoo' |
棕腹杜鵑 'reddish-brown-bellied cuckoo' |
|||
| Cuculus hyperythrus | Northern Hawk-cuckoo Coucou de Chine Fluchtkuckuck-hyperythrus |
キタジュウイチ (北十一) kita jū-ichi 'north ju-ichi' (from the bird's cry), written 'eleven' |
北棕腹杜鹃 (北棕腹杜鵑) 'north reddish-brown-bellied cuckoo' (2) |
매사촌 mae-sachon 'hawk cousin' |
|||
| Cuculus micropterus |
Indian cuckoo Short-winged cuckoo Coucou à ailes courtes Kurzflügelkuckuck Индийская кукушка |
セグロカッコウ (背黒郭公) se-guro kakkō 'black-backed cuckoo' |
四声杜鹃 (四聲杜鵑) 'four-voiced cuckoo' |
四聲杜鵑 'four-voiced cuckoo' |
布谷 'bugu' 光棍好过 (光棍好濄) 'bachelor lives well' 光棍背钮 (光棍背鈕) 'bachelor back button ?' 快快割麦 (快快割麥) 'hurry and reap the wheat' 花喀咕 () 'flowery kegu/kagu' 印度喀咕 () 'Indian kegu/kagu' 刮锅 (刮鍋) 'scrape pot' |
검은등뻐꾸기 geomeun-deung-ppeokkugi 'black-backed cuckoo' |
|
| Cuculus canorus |
Common cuckoo or Eurasian cuckoo Cuckoo Coucou gris Kuckuck Обыкновенная кукушка |
カッコウ (郭公) kakkō 'cuckoo'(onomatopoeic, characters' meaning = 'city outer wall' + 'public') |
カンコドリ (閑古鳥) kanko-dori 'kanko bird' (characters mean 'idle' + 'old') ガッポウドリ (合法鳥) gappō-dori 'gappo bird' (onomatopoeic, written 'accord with-the-law bird') カッコウドリ (郭公鳥) kakkō-dori 'cuckoo bird' See Hiraizumi |
大杜鹃 (大杜鵑) 'large cuckoo' |
大杜鵑 'large cuckoo' 布穀 'bugu' (former official name) |
布谷鸟 (布穀鳥) 'bugu bird' 郭公 'guo gong' (characters mean 'city outer wall' + 'public') 杜鹃 (杜鵑) 'cuckoo' |
뻐꾸기 ppeokkugi 'cuckoo' |
Latin |
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru |
Japanese |
Other J |
Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Korean |
| Cuculus saturatus |
Himalayan cuckoo Oriental cuckoo Coucou gris Hopfkuckuck Глухая кукушка |
ツツドリ (筒鳥) tsutsu-dori 'tube bird' (cry resembles sound of hitting a tube or pipe) |
ポンポンドリ (ぽんぽん鳥) ponpon-dori 'ponpon bird' (onomatopoeic) See Hiraizumi |
中杜鹃 (中杜鵑) 'medium cuckoo' |
中杜鵑 'medium cuckoo' 筒鳥 'tube bird' (former official name) |
中喀咕 () 'medium kegu' |
벙어리뻐꾸기 beongeori-ppeokkugi 'mute cuckoo' |
| Cuculus poliocephalus |
Lesser cuckoo Small cuckoo Petit Coucou Gackelkuckuck Малая кукушка |
ホトトギス (時鳥, 子規, 杜鵑, 不如帰, 郭公) hototogisu 'hototogisu' (written 1. 'time bird, 2. shiki (from Chinese), 3. token, from Chinese, 4. funyoki = better-go-back', 5. kakko, see Cuculus canorus above). |
アヤメドリ (文目鳥) ayame-dori 'fine pattern bird' イモセドリ (妹背鳥) imo-se-dori 'man and wife bird' (court women's language) タソガレドリ (黄昏鳥) tasogare-dori 'twilight bird' タマサカドリ (偶鳥) tamasaka-dori 'occasional bird' ウヅキドリ (卯月鳥) uzuki-dori 'fourth month bird' サナエドリ (早苗鳥) sanae-dori 'rice sprouts bird' カンノウチョウ (勧農鳥) kannō-chō 'promote agriculture bird' タマムカエドリ (魂迎え鳥) tama-mukae-dori 'spirit-greeting bird' (refers to a traditional custom of greeting returning spirits during summer) シデノタオサ (死出田長) shi-de no ta-osa 'king of the fields of the road to death' タオサドリ (田長鳥) ta-osa-dori 'king of the fields bird' トウ (杜宇) to-u 'to-u' (from Chinese) ショッコン (蜀魂) shokkon 'spirit of Shu' (ancient kingdom of China) シキ (子規) shiki 'shiki' (from Chinese) トケン (杜鵑) token 'token' (from Chinese) See Hiraizumi |
小杜鹃 (小杜鵑) 'small cuckoo' |
小杜鵑 'small cuckoo' |
두견이 dugyeoni 'dugyeoni' |
|
| Surniculus | |||||||
| Surniculus lugubris |
Asian drongo-cuckoo Drongo cuckoo Drongo-cuckoo Coucou surnicou Drongokuckuck |
オウチュウカッコウ (烏秋郭公) ōchū kakkō 'drongo cuckoo' |
乌鹃 (烏鵑) 'dark cuckoo' |
烏鵑 'dark cuckoo' |
검은두견이 geomeun-dugyeoni 'black dugyeoni' |
||
Latin |
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru |
Japanese |
Other J |
Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Korean |
Floating Menu by Milonic |
Tool tips by Walter Zorn |
