大白鳥

Japanese

大白鳥 (ōhakuchō): three whooper swans resting at a lake in Japan.

Kanji in this term
大	白	鳥
おお Grade: 1	はく Grade: 1	ちょう Grade: 2

Alternative forms

• 大鵠 (uncommon)

Etymology

/opopakuteu/ → /ofofakut͡ɕeu/ → /oːfakut͡ɕoː/ → /oːhakut͡ɕoː/

Compound of 大 (ō, “big”) +‎ 白鳥 (hakuchō, “swan”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) おおはくちょー [òóháꜜkùchòò] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [o̞ːha̠kɯ̟̊t͡ɕo̞ː]

Noun

大(おお)白(はく)鳥(ちょう) or 大白鳥(オオハクチョウ) • (ōhakuchō) ^{←おほはくてう (ofofakuteu) or オホハクテウ (ofofakuteu)?}

1. Cygnus cygnus: a whooper swan

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as オオハクチョウ.

See also

• 白(はく)鳥(ちょう) (hakuchō): a swan (in general)
• 小(こ)白(はく)鳥(ちょう) (kohakuchō): Cygnus columbianus: a tundra swan, a whistling swan