General names
Information is based on dictionaries and other sources. Comments and corrections welcome.
The official Chinese common names for members of the Corvidae all use either the character 鴉 'crow' or the character 鵲 'magpie'.
The general spoken term for a crow is 烏鴉 or 'black crow'. Colloquially, crows are supposedly known as 老鴰 'old gua' (obviously onomatopoeic) in the north of China and 老鴉 'old ya' in the south. In fact, 烏鴉 is probably more common than the 'colloquial' forms.
In the written language, specific types of crow or raven just use 鴉 -- for example, the Jackdaw is known as 寒鴉 'cold crow'. Some official names of the crows use this literary form (e.g., 巨嘴鴉 'giant-billed crow'); others use the spoken form (e.g., 小嘴烏鴉 'small-billed crow').
Pica pica (Common Magpie) is a very common bird known as 鵲 in written Chinese, but usually called the 喜鵲 'auspicious magpie'.
The endemic Taiwan Blue Magpie or Formosan Magpie is known as 台灣藍鵲 'Taiwan blue-magpie'.
The Jay (Eurasian Jay) is known as 松鴉 'pine crow'. There is also a tradition of using the Japanese loanwords 橿鳥 and 樫鳥 (both read かしどり kashidori and meaning 'oak bird' in Japanese) which are still found in many English-Chinese dictionaries.
Other birds in the family include the Grey Tree Pie (樹鵲 'tree magpie') and the Nutcracker (星鴉 'star crow').
Cultural:
In legend, the magpie plays a romantic role in the story of Altair (the Herd Boy) and Vega (the Weaving Girl), lovers separated by the Milky Way. On one day of the year, the seventh day of the seventh month, the magpies (generally written 喜雀 'auspicious sparrow' in this context) fly up from the earth and form a bridge for the lovers to meet. This day, 七夕 , is the Chinese version of Valentine's Day.
Crows are regarded less favourably. Chinese has a number of expressions relating to crows, of varying degrees of currency:
天下的烏鴉一般黑 'all crows in the world are black' -- Evil people do will always do evil deeds.
老鴰窩裡出鳳凰 'a phoenix born in a crow's nest' -- A person of exceptional talent born in humble circumstances.
烏頭白，馬生角 'a white crow's head, a horse grows horns' -- Something that is not possible.
烏鴉落在豬身上，只見人黑不見己黑 'the crow alights on a pig's back: can only see other people are black, but unable to see that oneself is also black' -- Laughing at others when you yourself are no better.
The character 烏 is used as an adjective for black. 烏黑 means 'pitch black'.
In ancient Chinese legend, the sun was described as 金烏 'golden crow'. Originally there were ten of these crows taking turns to cross the sky, but when all ten decided to come out at once, parching the land and crops, the heroic archer Houyi shot down nine of them.
Species names
ABOUT THIS TABLE (Hover cursor to see) SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH |
CHINESE |
JAPANESE |
OTHER |
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| Garrulus | ||||||||
Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Garrulus glandarius |
Eurasian jay Jay |
松鴉 (松鸦) 'pine crow' |
(松鴉) 松鸦 'pine crow' |
橿鳥 (橿鸟) 'oak bird' 樫鳥 (㭴鸟) 'oak bird' 塞皋 (塞皋) 'saigao' 屋鳥 (屋鸟) 'room/house bird' 山和尚 (山和尚) 'mountain monk' (also used for the Hoopoe) |
カケス (懸巣 ~  )kake-su 'hang-nest' |
カシドリ (橿鳥 ~ 樫鳥) kashi-dori 'oak bird' ヤマガラス (山烏 ~ 山鴉) yama-garasu 'mountain crow' (also used for rook and large-billed crow) |
어치 eochi 'jay' |
Chim Quạ thông 'pine crow (bird)' |
| Urocissa | ||||||||
Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Urocissa caerulea Cissa caerulea |
Taiwan blue magpie Formosan magpie Formosan blue magpie |
台灣藍鵲 (台湾蓝鹊) 'Taiwan blue-magpie' |
(台灣藍鵲) 台湾蓝鹊 'Taiwan blue-magpie' |
台灣暗藍鵲 (台湾暗蓝鹊) 'Taiwan dark blue-magpie' (6) 山娘 (山娘) 'mountain mother' |
ヤマムスメ (山娘) yama-musume 'mountain daughter' |
| Dendrocitta | ||||||||
Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Dendrocitta formosae Crypsirina formosae |
Grey treepie Himalayan tree pie |
樹鵲 (树鹊) 'tree magpie' |
(灰樹鵲) 灰树鹊 'grey tree magpie' |
タイワンオナガ (台湾尾長) taiwan o-naga 'Taiwan long-tail' |
Chim Choàng choạc xám 'grey treepie (bird)' |
| Pica | ||||||||
Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Pica pica |
Common magpie Black-billed magpie Magpie |
喜鵲 (喜鹊) 'magpie' |
(喜鵲) 喜鹊 'magpie' |
喜雀 (喜雀) 'auspicious sparrow' (written variation, pronunciation the same) 乾鵲 (干鹊) 'dry magpie' 神女 (神女) 'goddess' 野鵲子 (野鹊子) 'wild magpie' |
カササギ (鵲) kasasagi 'magpie' |
カチガラス (勝ち烏) kachi-garasu 'winning crow' チョウセンガラス (朝鮮烏) chōsen garasu 'Korean crow' コウライガラス (高麗烏) kōrai garasu 'Korean crow' |
까치 kkachi 'magpie' |
Chim Ác là 'ác là (bird)' (ác = 'crow') or Chim Bồ các 'bồ các (bird)' |
| Nucifraga | ||||||||
Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Nucifraga caryocatactes |
Eurasian nutcracker Spotted nutcracker Nutcracker |
星鴉 (星鸦) 'starred crow' |
(星鴉) 星鸦 'starred crow' |
ホシガラス (星烏 ~ 星鴉) hoshi garasu 'starred crow' |
ダケガラス (岳烏) dake-garasu 'mountain peak crow' タケガラス (岳烏) take-garasu 'mountain peak crow' |
잣까마귀 jat-kkamagwi 'pine-nut crow' |
| Corvus | ||||||||
Latin |
English |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Chinese (Mainland) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Other J |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
| Corvus dauuricus |
Daurian jackdaw | 東方寒鴉 (东方寒鸦) 'eastern cold crow' Taiwan former official: 寒鴉 (寒鸦) 'cold crow' |
(達烏里寒鴉) 达乌里寒鸦 'Daurian cold crow' |
慈烏 (慈乌) 'kind crow' 小山老鴰 (小山老鸹) 'small mountain crow' 孝鴉 (孝鸦) 'filial crow' |
コクマルガラス (黒丸烏 ~ 黒丸鴉) koku-maru garasu 'black circle crow' |
カンガラス (寒烏 ~ 寒鴉) kan-garasu 'cold crow' フユガラス (冬烏 ~ 冬鴉) fuyu-garasu 'winter crow' |
갈까마귀 gal-kkamagwi 'autumn ? crow' |
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| Corvus frugilegus |
Rook | 禿鼻鴉 (秃鼻鸦) 'bald-nosed crow' |
(禿鼻烏鴉) 秃鼻乌鸦 'bald-nosed crow' |
ミヤマガラス (深山烏 ~ 深山鴉) mi-yama garasu 'deep mountain crow' |
ヤマガラス (山烏 ~ 山鴉) yama-garasu 'mountain crow' (also used for 'large-billed crow' and 'jay') |
떼까마귀 tte-kkamagwi 'flock ? crow' |
Quạ đen mũi trọc 'shaven-nosed black crow' (Wikipedia) |
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| Corvus corone |
Carrion crow | 小嘴烏鴉 (小嘴乌鸦) 'small-billed crow' |
(小嘴烏鴉) 小嘴乌鸦 'small-billed crow' |
食腐肉烏鴉 (食腐肉乌鸦) 'carrion-eating crow' |
ハシボソガラス (嘴細烏 ~ 嘴細鴉) hashi-boso garasu 'slender-billed crow' |
까마귀 kkamagwi 'crow' |
Chim Quạ mỏ nhỏ 'small-billed crow (bird)' Chim Quạ đen mỏ bé 'small-billed black crow (bird)' (13) |
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| Corvus pectoralis Corvus torquatus |
Collared crow | 玉頸鴉 (玉颈鸦) 'jade-necked crow' |
(白頸鴉) 白颈鸦 'white-necked crow' |
白脖老鴰 (白脖老鸹) 'white-throated crow' |
クビワガラス (首輪烏) kubi-wa garasu 'neck-ringed crow' |
Chim Quạ khoang 'spotted crow (bird)' |
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| Corvus macrorhynchos |
Large-billed crow or Jungle crow Thick-billed crow |
巨嘴鴉 (巨嘴鸦) 'giant-billed crow' |
(大嘴烏鴉) 大嘴乌鸦 'large-billed crow' |
ハシブトガラス (嘴太烏 ~ 嘴太鴉) hashi-buto garasu 'thick-billed crow' |
ヤマガラス (山烏 ~ 山鴉) yama-garasu 'mountain crow' (also used for 'rook' and 'jay') |
큰부리까마귀 keun-buri-kkamagwi 'large-billed crow' |
Chim Quạ đen 'black crow (bird)' |
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