Tori vs. Niwatori vs. Toriniku: Meaning in Japanese

Tori is the Japanese word for bird in English, and 鳥 and 鶏 are the commonly used Kanji (Chinese characters) for Tori. 

Tori (鳥) vs. Tori (鶏) vs. Niwatori vs. Toriniku

These Kanji characters, 鳥 鶏, both can be read as Tori, but they are somewhat different in meaning.

Tori (鳥)

As you may know, 鳥 (Tori) can stand for any bird, including Niwatori.

Tori (鶏)

On the other hand, this 鶏 (Tori) has the same pronunciation as 鳥 but only refers to Niwatori, as the Kanji 鶏 can be read as Tori or Niwatori.

Niwatori (鶏)

Niwatori (鶏) is the Japanese word for chicken. Niwatori is a chicken, in other words, the Japanese collective term for rooster, hen, and chick.

Toriniku (鶏肉)

Toriniku (鶏肉) is the meat of a chicken as in its name Niku (肉) means meat in Japanese. Incidentally, 鳥肉 (Toriniku) can refer to any bird’s flesh/meat, including chicken.