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The Diomedeinae (albatrosses) are a subfamily of the Procellariiidae. Other subfamilies are the Procellariinae (fulmars and shearwaters) and the Hydrobatinae (petrels). |
1. General names
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Chinese: The albatross is 信天翁 xìntiānwēng, literally 'believe-heaven-old man'. It is sometimes known as the 海鹅 hǎi-é 'sea goose'. |
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Japanese: The albatross is アホウドリ ahō-dori, meaning 'idiot bird', written 阿房鳥, which is probably based on the fact that it does not fear humans and is easily caught. A less common name is シンテンオウ shinten'ō, the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese name 信天翁. (Note: 信天翁 can also be read ahō-dori.) アルバトロス arubatorosu may also be found. |
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Vietnamese: The Vietnamese name for the Procellariiformes (albatrosses and shearwaters) is Hải âu. The word Hải âu is borrowed from the Chinese 海鸥 hǎi-ōu. In Chinese, however, this means 'seagull', not 'petrel'. Some dictionaries (English-Vietnamese, Chinese-Vietnamese) list Hải âu lớn ('large hai au') and Hải nga (from Chinese 海鹅 hǎi-é) for the albatross. |
2. Species names
ABOUT THIS TABLE (Hover cursor to see) 
SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH |
CHINESE |
JAPANESE |
VIETNAMESE |
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| Latin | English | Chinese | Other Ch | Japanese | Other J | Vietnamese | Other V |
Diomedea exulans |
Wandering albatross | 漂泊信天翁 piāobó xìntiānwēng 'wandering albatross' |
ワタリアホウドリ (渡り信天翁 or 渡り阿房鳥) watari ahō-dori 'migratory albatross' |
シンテンオウ (信天翁) shinten'ō 'believe heaven old man' アルバトロス arubatorosu 'albatross' (English) |
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| Diomedea albatrus/ Phoebastria albatrus |
Short-tailed albatross (Cheng) Stellar's albatross |
短尾信天翁 duǎn-wěi xìntiānwēng 'short-tailed albatross' |
布袋鹅 bù-dài é 'cloth bag goose' (see note) 海鹅 hǎi-é 'sea goose' |
アホウドリ (信天翁 or 阿房鳥) ahō-dori 'albatross' |
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| Taiwan: 短尾信天翁 duǎn-wěi xìntiānwēng 'short-tailed albatross' |
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| Diomedea nigripes/ Phoebastria nigripes |
Black-footed albatross | 黑脚信天翁 hēi jiǎo xìntiānwēng 'black-legged albatross' |
クロアシアホウドリ (黒足信天翁 or 黒足阿房鳥) kuro-ashi ahō-dori 'black-legged albatross' |
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| Taiwan: 黑腳信天翁 hēi jiǎo xìntiānwēng 'black-legged albatross' |
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| Diomedea immutabilis/ Phoebastria immutabilis |
Laysan albatross |
黑背信天翁 hēi-bèi xìntiānwēng 'black-backed albatross' |
コアホウドリ (小信天翁 or 小阿房鳥) ko-ahō-dori 'small albatross' |
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| Diomedea melanophris/ Thalassarche melanophrys |
Black-browed albatross |
黑眉信天翁 hēi-méi xìntiānwēng 'black-eyebrowed albatross' |
マユグロアホウドリ (眉黒信天翁 or 眉黒阿房鳥) mayu-guro ahō-dori 'black-eyebrowed albatross' |
Hải âu mày đen 'black-eyebrowed hai au' |
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3. Notes
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Chinese: The two alternative names for the albatross in Chinese come from the Chunichi Daijiten (中日大辞典), a Chinese-Japanese dictionary. Although this dictionary is usually very reliable these names appear in no other sources, so I have included them with hesitation. The word 布袋鹅 bù-dài é 'cloth bag goose' actually refers to the name of one of the seven Japanese gods of good fortune, Hotei, noted for his large paunch. Although modelled on the Chinese monk Bu Dai (Bù-dài) of the 10th century, this god does not appear to have any great currency in China. The name looks suspiciously Japanese. |
