Japanese edit

Kanji in this term
らい
Grade: S
じん
Grade: 3
ちょう
Grade: 2
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
雷神鳥 (kyūjitai)

Etymology edit

Compound of 雷神 (raijin, thunder god) +‎ (chō, bird), calque of English thunderbird. The first term of the compound is 雷神 (raijin, thunder god) rather than the expected (rai, thunder) because the term 雷鳥 (raichō) is already used to refer to the rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta), a type of grouse native to Japan.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): [ɾa̠iʑĩɲ̟t͡ɕo̞ː]

Noun edit

(らい)(じん)(ちょう) (raijinchō

  1. (rare) a thunderbird (mythological bird)

Usage notes edit

The term サンダーバード (sandābādo) is more commonly used as a translation for the English term thunderbird.

Synonyms edit

See also edit