鶏

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 鶏 (にわとり) is a noun for a domesticated chicken.
• Basic usage: It describes a chicken calling in a yard or feeding chickens on a farm.
  • 庭の鶏が朝早くから鳴いています。 — The chicken in the yard has been crowing since early morning.
  • 農場で鶏に餌をやる仕事を手伝いました。 — I helped feed the chickens at the farm.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Subject and recipient of an action
  • 鶏が鳴く makes the chicken the subject that calls, while 鶏に餌をやる marks chickens as the recipients of feed.