The kanji 鳥 represents "bird." It encompasses the general concept of avian creatures, including their physical characteristics, their ability to fly, and their association with the sky and nature. The meaning centers on the bird itself as a distinct type of animal.

・On-yomi (音読み): チョウ (chou) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): とり (tori)

⚫︎ 小鳥 (kotori) Translation: small bird ⚫︎ 焼き鳥 (yakitori) Translation: grilled chicken (literally, grilled bird) ⚫︎ 鳥類 (chourui) Translation: birds (as a group, ornithology)

The kanji 鳥 is a pictograph. It depicts the image of a bird, with its beak, eyes, wings, and tail. The evolution of the character has involved some simplification over time, but the original intent to represent a bird remains clear. Early forms of the character show a more detailed representation, which gradually became stylized into the current form.