Japanese word

鳴き声

Pronunciation

Romajinakigoe

Meaning

  • nouncall

Example

朝、鳥の鳴き声で目が覚めます。asa tori no na ki goe de me ga sa me ma su

I wake up to a bird's call in the morning.

Illustration for 鳴き声 (call)

More examples

朝、鳥の鳴き声が聞こえます。asa tori no na ki goe ga ki ko e ma su

I can hear a bird's call in the morning.

この機械は本物の鳥の鳴き声を再現します。ko no ki kai wa hon mono no tori no na ki goe o sai gen shi ma su

This machine reproduces the call of a real bird.

Core concept

Describes the voice-like sound a bird, animal, or insect produces as its recognizable call.

Common phrases

  • 鳴き声を聞くna ki goe o ki ku

    hear a call

  • 鳴き声がするna ki goe ga su ru

    hear a call

  • 猫の鳴き声neko no na ki goe

    cat's cry

Similar words

さえずりsaezuri: A series of musical sounds made by a bird, especially when it sings.
叫び声sakebigoe: A sharp vocal sound made by an animal in response to danger or distress.

Definition in Japanese

動物や鳥、虫などが発する声や音。dō butsu ya tori mushi na do ga has su ru koe ya oto

Word origin

鳴き声 (nakigoe) is a native Japanese compound of 鳴く (naku, "to make a sound") in its noun-forming stem 鳴き (naki) and 声 (koe, "voice or sound").

Usage tips

  • In English, call is the broad everyday term for an animal's vocal sound, while cry can suggest a sharper or more urgent sound and birdsong usually suggests a musical one.

Other meanings

  • animal soundnoun
  • crynoun

Word lists with this word