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You are here: Home / Featured Posts / 閑古鳥が鳴く (kankodori ga naku): Meaning

閑古鳥が鳴く (kankodori ga naku): Meaning

April 22, 2020

Table of Contents

  • Pronunciation
  • Definition
  • Examples
  • Synonyms

Pronunciation

https://takashionary.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/20200628-184718.m4a

Definition

閑古鳥が鳴く(かんこどりがなく, kankodori ga naku) literarily means ‘a cuckoo sings’, where 閑古鳥 (かんこどり) means ‘cuckoo’ and 鳴(な)く means ‘(an animal) calls/makes a sound’. It is figuratively used when there is no one in a place that is supposed to be lively, such as a restaurant, hotel, and theme park; the empty shops/places are associated with a quiet forest where the desolate sound of a cuckoo resonates. This idiom is particularly used to indicate that a business is not doing well. Because of COVID-19, now ‘cuckoos are singing’ almost everywhere around the globe.

Examples

あそこのレストランは、いつも閑古鳥が鳴いている
‘A cuckoo is always singing’ in that restaurant. ( = the restaurant is always empty/not doing well)

コロナウイルスの影響えいきょうで、観光地かんこうちでは閑古鳥が鳴いている
Because of the effect of the coronavirus, ‘a cuckoo is singing’ in tourist spots. ( = there is no one in tourists spots)

Synonyms

Basic ○ ○ ○ ● ○Advanced
Standard  ● ○ ○ ○ ○Slang
Formal ○ ○ ● ○ ○Informal

Synonyms: 空(す)いている empty, not crowded, 閑散 (かんさん)とした (empty and quite)、ガラガラ (empty and quite)
Synonyms in English: empty, quite, desolate
Related Words and Phrases: 閑古鳥(かんこどり) cuckoo (*「カッコウ」 is a much more common word for ‘cuckoo’),  鳴(な)く‘(an animal) calls/makes a sound’

Filed Under: Featured Posts, idiom, Standard

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