燕つばめ

also: つばくらめ · つばくら · つばくろ

つ

ば

め

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

swallow; martin

usually written using kana alone

General term for swallows and martins (family Hirundinidae). Sense 2 specifies the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), the most common species in Japan.

春はるになると燕つばめが巣すを作つくりに戻もどってくる。
In spring, the swallows come back to build their nests.

軒のき

下した

に

燕つばめ

の

巣す

を

見み

つけ

た

。

I found a swallow's nest under the eaves.

2

noun

younger man in an age-gap relationship; boy toy

Slang for a younger man romantically involved with an older woman. Often used in the phrase 若い燕 (わかいつばめ).

Written forms

燕Usage40%
- つばめ
  Standard kanji spelling. It is usually written in kana.
- つばくら
  out-dated reading
- つばくろ
  out-dated reading
- つばくらめ
  out-dated reading
ツバメUsage39%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, often used in biological contexts or for emphasis.
つばめUsage20%
Kana spelling is very common.
つばくらめUsage1%
out-dated reading
Obsolete kana form; not used in modern Japanese.
つばくろUsage1%
out-dated reading
Obsolete kana form; not used in modern Japanese.
つばくらUsage<1%
out-dated reading
Obsolete kana form; not used in modern Japanese.

Kanji

燕swallow (bird)

Similar words

若わかい燕つばめ
A set phrase meaning 'younger male lover', directly using 燕 in the slang sense.

Etymology

The Japanese word つばめ is of native origin, with no clear kanji-based etymology. The kanji 燕 is a Chinese character adopted for its meaning 'swallow'. The obsolete readings つばくらめ, つばくら, and つばくろ are older forms.