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嘴

くちばし

beak; bill

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. その鳥は嘴が長い。

    そのとりはくちばしがながい。

    That bird has a long beak.

  2. きつつきは、長く尖った嘴で木の幹をつつき、中にいる虫を食べます。

    きつつきは、ながくとがったくちばしできのみきをつつき、なかにいるむしをたべます。

    Woodpeckers peck tree trunks with their long pointed beaks and eat the insects inside.

  3. 子供のくせに大人の話に嘴を挟むな。

    こどものくせにおとなのはなしにくちばしをはさむな。

    You're just a child — don't butt into grown-ups' conversation.

Common patterns

嘴を挟む
to butt in; to put in one's two cents
嘴が黄色い
to be green; still wet behind the ears
嘴でつつく
to peck with the beak

Memory tip

Usually written くちばし in kana; the kanji 嘴 is not a 常用漢字. Note the idioms: 嘴が黄色い (a fledgling's yellow bill) means inexperienced, and 嘴を挟む means to interrupt.

Kanji in this word

  • 嘴Not in the N5–N1 kanji lists

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does 嘴 mean?