Japanese word

鳴く

Pronunciation

Romajinaku

Meaning

  • verbcall, chirp

Example

鳥が鳴きます。tori ga na ki ma su

The bird calls.

Illustration for 鳴く (call)

More examples

鳥が朝に鳴きます。tori ga asa ni na ki ma su

The bird chirps in the morning.

夜になると、庭で虫が鳴いています。yoru ni na ru to niwa de mushi ga na i te i ma su

At night, insects are calling in the garden.

Core concept

Describes an animal producing its characteristic sound, from a bird's call to an insect's chirp.

Common phrases

  • 大声で鳴くō goe de na ku

    call loudly

  • よく鳴くyo ku na ku

    call often

Similar words

吠えるhoeru: To make a loud, sharp animal sound, most commonly associated with dogs.
さえずるsaezuru: To make repeated, musical sounds like those of a singing bird.
うなるunaru: To produce a low, rough sound as an animal.

Definition in Japanese

動物が声や音を発する。dō butsu ga koe ya oto o has su ru

Word origin

鳴く (naku) is a native Japanese verb, attested in Old Japanese as naku for sounds made by animals; the kanji 鳴 (mei, "to sound") was later used to write it.

Usage tips

  • The homophone 泣く (naku, "to cry") describes human tears, while 鳴く (naku) normally describes sounds made by animals.

Other meanings

  • cryverb

Related words

Word lists with this word