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 Japanese word for 'sparrow' is スズメ suzume, written with the Chinese character 雀. Unmodified, スズメ suzume refers to Passer montanus.
Cultural:
The expression 雀の涙 suzume no namida 'sparrow's tears' refers to a lamentably small or trifling amount.
The expression 雀百まで踊り忘れず suzume hyaku made odori wasurezu 'a sparrow doesn't forget how to dance (hop) even when it reaches 100' means that what is learnt in youth is never forgotten. It is often used for less-than-healthy pursuits.
The Japanese fairy-tale 舌切り雀 shita-kiri suzume 'tongue-cut sparrow' exemplifies the moral 'good for good, evil for evil'. The old man who takes care of the sparrow is rewarded; his wife who cuts out the sparrow's tongue gets her just desserts.
Species names
ABOUT THIS TABLE (Hover cursor to see) SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN |
JAPANESE |
CHINESE |
KOREAN |
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| Passer | |||||||
Latin |
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru |
Japanese |
Other J |
Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Korean |
Passer rutilans |
Russet sparrow Cinnamon sparrow Ruddy sparrow Moineau rutilant Rötelsperling Рыжий воробей |
ニュウナイスズメ (入内雀) nyūnai suzume 'enter inside sparrow' (the characters for nyūnai refer to conferral of 'inner' court rank in ancient Japan, a step up from provincial 'outer' rank) |
山麻雀 (山麻雀) 'mountain sparrow' |
山麻雀 (麻雀) 'mountain sparrow' |
黄雀 (黄雀) 'yellow sparrow' 红雀 (紅雀) 'red sparrow' 桂色雀 (桂色雀) 'cinnamon-coloured sparrow' 赭麻雀 (赭麻雀) 'brownish sparrow' 山只只 (山只只) 'mountain zhi zhi' |
섬참새 seom-cham-sae 'island sparrow bird' |
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| Passer montanus |
Eurasian tree sparrow Tree sparrow Moineau friquet Feldsperling Полевой воробей |
スズメ (雀) suzume 'sparrow' |
コウジャク (黄雀) kōjaku 'yellow sparrow' A wealth of popular names (see Hiraizumi) |
麻雀 (麻雀) 'sparrow' or 树麻雀 (樹麻雀) 'tree sparrow' (Alternative in 1, 3) |
麻雀 (麻雀) 'sparrow' |
麻雀儿 (麻雀兒) 'sparrow' 家雀 (家雀) 'house sparrow' 家雀儿 (家雀兒) 'house sparrow' (dialect) 琉麻雀 (琉麻雀) 'glazed sparrow' 老家贼 (老家賊) 'old house thief' (dialect) 老家子 (老家子) 'old house fellow' 老雀子 (老雀子) 'old sparrow' 王母使者 (王母使者) 'emissary of the queen mother' 宾雀 (賓雀) 'guest sparrow' 瓦雀 (瓦雀) 'tile sparrow' 只只 (只只) 'zhi zhi' 厝鸟 (厝鳥) 'house-bird' (dialect) |
참새 cham-sae 'sparrow bird' |
