Fringillidae / 雀科 (Què kē)

燕雀科 Yàn-què kē * アトリ科 Atori ka * 되새과 Doe-sae-gwa * Họ Sẻ dồng

General names

Information is based on dictionaries and other sources. Comments and corrections welcome.

The character què is traditionally identified with sparrows and finches, hence the name of the family: 雀科 Què kē. (Recently, however, there is a tendency on the Mainland to rename the family 燕雀科 Yàn-què kē, after the name of the Brambling.) Most members of the family have been given names that end in què, to the extent that even the 金翅 jīn-chì ('gold wing' has been officially transformed into the 金翅雀 jīn-chì-què 'gold-winged finch'.

The relationship of the common names to scientific genera is as follows:

Taiwanese name Literal meaning Genus Mainland name Literal meaning Note
花雀
huā-què
'swallow-finch' Fringilla 燕雀
yàn-què
'swallow-finch'  
金翅雀
jīn-chì-què
'gold-winged finch' Carduelis (greenfinches, goldfinches) 金翅
jīn-chì
金翅雀
jīn-chì-què
'gold-wing' or 'gold-winged finch'  
黄雀
huáng-què
'yellow finch' Carduelis (siskins) 黄雀
huáng-què
'yellow finch' Traditionally used for the sparrow
朱頂雀
zhū-dǐng-què
'vermilion-capped finch' Carduelis (redpoll, twite, linnet) 朱頂雀
zhū-dǐng-què
'vermilion-capped finch'  
朱雀
zhū-què
'vermilion finch' Carpodacus 朱雀
zhū-què
'vermilion finch'  

xué
(from Japanese) Pyrrhula 灰雀
huī-què
'grey finch'  
臘嘴雀
là-zuǐ-què
'cured-meat billed finch' Coccothraustes 錫嘴雀
xī-zuǐ-què
'tin-billed finch'  
桑鳲
sāng-shī
'mulberry shi' Eophona 蠟嘴雀
là-zuǐ-què
'wax-billed finch'  

The naming of the Hawfinches/Grosbeaks is curiously confused. In Taiwan, the genus Coccothraustes is given the name 臘嘴雀 là-zuǐ-què 'cured-meat billed finch'. (The character has a number of meanings, including the end of the lunar year and associated sacrifices, and cured meat or sausage meat). On the other hand, the Mainland names use 錫嘴 xī-zuǐ 'tin bill' for Coccothraustes and 蠟嘴 là-zuǐ 'wax bill' for Eophona. Superficially, the names appear totally unrelated, but the following table suggests otherwise.

  1 2 (simple form of 1) 3 4
Character
Pronunciation or (also )
Meaning 1. end of lunar year and associated sacrifices 2. cured meat 1. same as at left ; 2. cured meat wax tin
Simplified form (Mainland)

The key is the second column, which shows a traditional simplification of . The character may be read either or (standardised to in Mainland China), which is precisely the pronunciation of the Mainland names for the two genera. Without further study it would be difficult to know the origins of this tangle of names, but it appears that the three names are indeed related. (Incidentally, the characters used to write the Japanese name of Coccothraustes coccothraustes, which are borrowed from Chinese, are 蠟嘴 'waxbill', in modern Japanese simplified to 蝋嘴).

Species names

› ABOUT THIS TABLE (Hover cursor to see) ‹
FRINGILLINAE
SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH
CHINESE
JAPANESE
OTHER
Latin
English
Chinese (Taiwan)
Chinese (Mainland)
Other Ch
Japanese
Other J
Korean
Vietnamese
Fringilla                
Fringilla montifringilla
link to photolink to photo
Brambling 花雀
huā-què
'flowery sparrow'
燕雀
yàn-què
'swallow-finch'
花雞
huā-jī
'flowery fowl'
燕雀兒
yàn-quèr
'swallow sparrow'
虎皮雀
hǔ pí què
'tiger skin finch'
アトリ
(花鶏, 猲子鳥)
atori
'atori' (first characters mean 'flower fowl' - cf. Chinese alternative names; second characters origin unclear)
  되새
doe-sae
'doe bird'
Sẻ dồng đầu đen
'black headed field sparrow' (or 'black headed bunting' - 'field sparrow' also refers to buntings)
Sẻ thông đầu đen
'black headed pine sparrow' (13)
small arrowNotesmall arrow
 
CARDUELINAE
SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH
CHINESE
JAPANESE
OTHER
Latin
English
Chinese (Taiwan)
Chinese (Mainland)
Other Ch
Japanese
Other J
Korean
Vietnamese
Carduelis                
Carduelis sinica
Chloris sinica
link to photolink to photo
Oriental greenfinch
Grey-capped greenfinch
Greenfinch
Chinese greenfinch
金翅雀
jīn-chì-què
'gold wing finch'
金翅雀
jīn-chì-què
'gold wing finch' (1, 2, 3, 4)
or
金翅
jīn-chì
'gold-wing' (Alternative in 1, 3, 5)
small arrowNotesmall arrow
東方金翅
dōngfāng jīn-chì
'eastern gold-wing' (5)
金翅兒
jīn-chèr
'gold-wing'
東方金翅鳥
dōng-fāng jīn-chì-niǎo
'oriental gold-wing bird'
綠雀
lǜ què
'green finch'
蘆花黄雀
lú huā huáng-què
'reed catkin yellow finch' (also C. spinus below)
黄楠雀
huáng nán què
'yellow nan [type of tree] finch'
カワラヒワ
(河原鶸)
kawara hiwa
'river-bed hiwa'
  방울새
bangul-sae
'bang-ul bird' (bang-ul='bell' or 'drop of liquid')
Sẻ thông đầu xám
'grey-headed pine-sparrow' (13)
Carduelis spinus
Spinus spinus
link to photolink to photo
Eurasian siskin
Spruce siskin
Siskin
黄雀
huáng-què
'yellow finch'
黄雀
huáng-què
'yellow finch'
黄鳥
huáng-niǎo
'yellow bird' (also used for Oriolus chinensis)
蘆花黄雀
lú-huā huáng-què
'reed catkin yellow finch' (also C. sinica above)
マヒワ
(真鶸)
ma-hiwa
'true hiwa'
  검은머리방울새
geomeun-meori-bangul-sae
'black-headed bang-ul bird'
Sẻ thông Siskim
'siskin pine-sparrow' (13)
Carduelis flammea
Acanthis flammea
link to photo
Common redpoll
Redpoll
普通朱頂雀
pǔtōng zhū-dǐng-què
'common vermilion-capped finch'
白腰朱頂雀
bái-yāo zhū-dǐng-què
'white-rumped vermilion-capped finch'
朱頂雀
zhū-dǐng-què
'vermilion-capped finch'
貯點紅
zhù diǎn hóng
'(literally) save-a-bit red'
ベニヒワ
(紅鶸)
beni hiwa
'red hiwa'
  홍방울새
hong-bangul-sae
'red bang-ul bird'
 
Carpodacus                
Carpodacus erythrinus
link to photo
Common rosefinch 普通朱雀
pǔtōng zhū-què
'common vermilion finch'
普通朱雀
pǔtōng zhū-què
'common vermilion finch'
朱雀
zhū-què
'vermilion finch' (6, 7)
青麻料兒 / 青麻料
qīng má-liàor / qīng má-liào
'blue hemp material' (literal)
朱雀
zhū-què
'vermilion finch'
アカマシコ
(赤猿子)
aka mashiko
'red mashiko'
  적원자
jeogwonja
'jeogwonja'
Sẻ hồng mura
'mura rosy sparrow'
Sẻ thông mura
'mura pine sparrow' (13)
Carpodacus vinaceus Vinaceous rosefinch 酒紅朱雀
jiǔ-hóng zhū-què
'wine red vermilion finch'
酒紅朱雀
jiǔ-hóng zhū-què
'wine red vermilion finch'
  タカサゴマシコ
(高砂猿子)
Takasago mashiko
'Taiwan mashiko'
     
Latin
English
Chinese (Taiwan)
Chinese
Other Ch
Japanese
Other J
Korean
Vietnamese
Pyrrhula                
Pyrrhula nipalensis Brown bullfinch 褐鷽
hè xué
'brown xue'
褐灰雀
hè huī-què
'brown grey-finch'

xué
'xue'
拙老婆
zhuō lǎopó
'stupid wife'
チャイロウソ
(茶色鷽)
cha-iro uso
'brown uso'
    Sẻ mỏ ngắn
'short-billed sparrow'
Sẻ thông mỏ ngắn
'short-billed pine sparrow' (13)
Pyrrhula erythaca
link to photo
Grey-headed bullfinch
Beavan's bullfinch
灰鷽
huī xué
'grey xue'
灰頭灰雀
huī-tóu huī-què
'grey-headed grey-finch'
赤胸灰雀
chì-xiōng huī-què
'red-breasted grey-finch' (6)

xué
'xue'
拙老婆
zhuō lǎopó
'stupid wife'
タカサゴウソ
(高砂鷽)
Takasago uso
'Taiwanese uso'
     
Coccothraustes                
Coccothraustes coccothraustes
link to photolink to photo
Hawfinch 臘嘴雀
là-zuǐ-què
'cured meat-billed finch'
錫嘴雀
xī-zuǐ-què
'tin-billed finch'
錫嘴
xī-zuǐ
'tin bill'
老錫兒
lǎo xīr
'old xir'
厚嘴鳥
hòu-zuǐ niǎo
'thick-billed bird'
シメ
(鴲, 蝋嘴)
shime
'shime' (the first character is Japanese-made, the second pair means 'waxbill', from the Chinese name - see left)
ヒメ
(鴲, 鳹)
hime
'hime' (both are Japanese-made characters)
콩새
kong-sae
'bean ? bird'
 
Eophona                
Eophona migratoria
Coccothraustes migratorius
link to photolink to photolink to photolink to photo
Yellow-billed grosbeak
Black-tailed hawfinch
Chinese grosbeak
小桑鳲
xiǎo sāng-shī
'small mulberry shi'
黑尾蠟嘴雀
hēi-wěi là-zuǐ-què
'black-tailed wax-billed finch'
蠟嘴
là-zuǐ
'wax bill'
皂兒
zàor
'black'
コイカル
(小桑鳲, 小鵤, 小斑鳩 )
ko-ikaru
'small ikaru'
  밀화부리
milhwa-buri
'milhwa bill'
Mỏ to đầu đen
'black-headed large-bill '
Eophona personata
Coccothraustes personatus
link to photolink to photo
Japanese grosbeak
Masked hawfinch
桑鳲
sāng-shī
'mulberry shi'
黑頭蠟嘴雀
hēi-tóu là-zuǐ-què
'black-headed wax-billed finch'
蠟嘴
là-zuǐ
'wax bill'
梧桐
wú-tóng
'Chinese parasol tree'
イカル
(桑鳲, , 斑鳩)
ikaru
'ikaru' (characters are 1. from the Chinese, see left; 2. a Japanese-created character; 3. Chinese characters meaning 'pied pigeon')
サンコウチョウ
(三光鳥)
sankōchō
'three light bird' (also name of Terpsiphone atrocaudata)
マメマワシ
(豆回し)
mamemawashi
'bean turner' (from habit of turning beans in bill as it eats)
イカルガ
(斑鳩)
ikaruga
'ikaruga' (written 'pied pigeon')
큰부리밀화부리
keun-buri-milhwa-buri
large-billed milhwa bill'
 
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