chicken

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 鶏 denotes a chicken; its on-reading is けい, and its kun-readings are にわとり and とり.
• Basic usage: Standalone 鶏 refers to the living chicken, while 鶏肉 refers to chicken meat as food.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 鶏 / 鶏肉
  • 鶏: Read as にわとり, this noun refers to a chicken kept in a yard or on a farm. Example: 庭の鶏が朝早くから鳴いています。
  • 鶏肉: Read here as とりにく, this word refers to chicken used as an ingredient. Example: 夕食に鶏肉と野菜のスープを作った。