鳥肌

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The spelling is 鳥肌, read とりはだ, and it combines 鳥, meaning bird, with 肌, meaning skin.
• Basic usage: 鳥肌 means goosebumps caused by cold, fear, or a powerful emotional response.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A physical reaction to cold and a figurative marker of emotion
  • Both examples use the form 鳥肌. Cold wind produces visible bumps on the arms, while a beautiful singing voice creates chills through intense emotion.
• Arms exposed to cold wind and a moving singing voice
  • 冷たい風に当たって腕に鳥肌が立った。 — The cold wind gave me goosebumps on my arms.
  • 歌声の美しさに鳥肌が立つほど感動した。 — The beauty of the singing voice moved me enough to give me chills.