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 cormorant is ウ u, written 鵜 in Chinese characters. (Note that in Chinese 鵜 refers to the pelican, as in 鵜鶘 .)
The Orient has a long tradition of using the cormorant for fishing, a practice that is sadly dying out. Cormorant fishing is known in Japanese as 鵜飼い u-kai or u-gai ('cormorant raising') and mainly uses P. capillatus/filamentosus.
In Japanese, expressions referring to 'cormorants' include:
The term 鵜呑みにする u-nomi ni suru ('swallow like a cormorant'), which means 'to swallow whole' or, in a figurative meaning, 'to swallow uncritically', from the bird's habit of swallowing fish whole.
The expression 鵜の目鷹の目 u no me taka no me 'eyes of a cormorant, eyes of a hawk' refers to looking for something with sharp or keen eyes.
Species names
ABOUT THIS TABLE (Hover cursor to see) SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN |
JAPANESE |
CHINESE |
KOREAN |
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| Phalacrocorax | |||||||
Latin |
Eng, Fr, Ger, Ru |
Japanese |
Other J |
Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Korean |
Phalacrocorax carbo |
Great cormorant Cormorant Common cormorant Grand Cormoran Kormoran Баклан большой |
カワウ (河鵜) kawa-u 'river cormorant' |
普通鸬鹚 (普通鸕鶿) 'common cormorant' (1, 2, 3, 4) 鸬鹚 (鸕鶿) 'cormorant' (5. Alternative in 1) |
(鸬鹚) 鸕鶿 'cormorant' |
鱼鹰 (魚鷹) 'fish hawk' (FS) (also Osprey) 墨鸦 (墨鴉) 'black-ink crow' 水老鸦 (水老鴉) 'water crow' 水老鸹 (水老鴰) 'water crow' (northern) (FS) 鱼老鸹 (魚老鴰) 'fish crow' (FS) 海鹈 (海鵜) 'sea pelican' (FS) 乌鬼 (烏鬼) 'dark demon' (southern) (FS) 黑鱼郎 (黑魚郎) 'black fisherman' (FS) 鷧 (鷧) 'cormorant' (Materia Medica) (FS) |
민물가마우지 min-mul-gamauji 'freshwater cormorant' |
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| Phalacrocorax capillatus Phalacrocorax filamentosus (esp. in Japan) |
Japanese cormorant Temminck's cormorant Cormoran de Temminck Japankormoran Уссурийский баклан |
ウミウ (海鵜) umi-u 'sea cormorant' |
绿背鸬鹚 (綠背鸕鶿) 'green back cormorant' (2, 4) 暗绿背鸬鹚 (暗綠背鸕鶿) 'dark green back cormorant' (1, 3, 5) |
(丹氏鸬鹚) 丹氏鸕鶿 'Mr Dan's cormorant' |
斑头鸬鹚 (班頭鸕鶿) 'stripe-headed cormorant' (6, 7) 特明氏鸬鹚 (特明氏鸕鶿) 'Mr Teming's cormorant' (FS) |
가마우지 gamauji 'cormorant' |
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| Phalacrocorax pelagicus Leucocarbo pelagicus |
Pelagic cormorant Sea cormorant Cormoran pélagique Meerscharbe Берингов баклан |
ヒメウ (姫鵜) hime-u 'princess cormorant' |
海鸬鹚 (海鸕鶿) 'sea cormorant (bird)' |
(海鸬鹚) 海鸕鶿 'sea cormorant' |
乌鹈 (烏鵜) 'dark pelican' (dict) (FS) |
쇠가마우지 soe-gamauji 'small cormorant' |
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| Phalacrocorax urile |
Red-faced shag Red-faced cormorant Cormoran à face rouge Rotgesichtscharbe Краснолицый баклан |
チシマウガラス (千島鵜烏) chishima u-garasu 'Kurile cormorant-crow' |
红脸鸬鹚 (紅臉鸕鶿 'red-faced cormorant' |
水老鸦 (水老鴉) 'water crow' (FS) |
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