都鳥

Japanese

Kanji in this term
都	鳥
みやこ Grade: 3	とり > どり Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
都鳥 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Literally, “capital bird”, 都(みやこ) (miyako, “the Capital”) + 鳥(とり) (tori, “bird”). The tori changes to dori as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mʲija̠ko̞do̞ɾʲi]

Noun

都(みやこ)鳥(どり) or 都鳥(ミヤコドリ) • (miyakodori) 

1. Eurasian oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus
2. (archaic, poetic) Synonym of 百合鴎 (yuri kamome, “black-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus”)
3. (by extension, in allusion to the Tale of Ise) a person from the capital
4. Synonym of 都鳥貝 (miyakodori-gai, “Phenacolepas pulchella”)

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary).