小鳥（ことり、kotori）
- small bird

The Japanese word 小鳥小鳥, read as ことり, means "small bird" or "little bird." It refers to birds that are generally smaller in size. It emphasizes the diminutive nature of the bird.

⚫︎公園で小鳥のさえずりを聞きました。 Translation: I heard the chirping of little birds in the park. ⚫︎庭に小鳥が巣を作っています。 Translation: A little bird is building a nest in the garden. ⚫︎彼女は小鳥のように歌う。 Translation: She sings like a little bird.

⚫︎You can use 小鳥 in various contexts where you're talking about small birds. ⚫︎It's suitable for descriptions in nature, stories, or everyday conversations. ⚫︎It adds a sense of endearment or delicacy.

⚫︎The word is typically written with the kanji 小 (meaning "small" or "little") and 鳥 (meaning "bird"). ⚫︎The reading in hiragana is ことり. ⚫︎There are no variations in okurigana.

⚫︎鳥 (とり) - bird (general term) ⚫︎野鳥 (やちょう) - wild bird

⚫︎While there isn't a direct antonym, you could use a word to describe a larger bird, such as 大鳥 (おおとり) which means "large bird" in a figurative way. However, it's not a common usage.

朝、窓を開けると、小鳥がさえずっていました。 ・Translation: In the morning, when I opened the window, a little bird was chirping. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the pleasant experience of hearing a little bird sing in the morning.

その女の子は、小鳥を飼うのが夢です。 ・Translation: That girl dreams of keeping little birds. ・Explanation: This sentence explains a girl's dream related to owning little birds as pets.

⚫︎The word is a combination of 小 (ko), meaning "small," and 鳥 (tori), meaning "bird." The "ri" in "kotori" is a rendaku (連濁) of the first consonant sound from 鳥. ⚫︎The combination explicitly states a "small bird."