Hirundinidae

1. General names

Chinese: The Chinese term for swallows in general is 燕 yàn, but does not usually occur as a word on its own. The most common type of swallow, Hirundo rustica, is known as a 燕子 yànzi.

Japanese: The Japanese word for swallows in general is ツバメ tsubame, which in scientific use refers to Hirundo rustica. Regional words for 'swallow' (also found in poetry) include つばくらめ tsubakurame, つばくら tsubakura, and つばくろ tsubakuro. The Chinese character 燕 can be used to represent all these names.

Vietnamese: The official Vietnamese name for the swallow is Nhạn. Another common word for swallow is Én, derived from the Chinese word 燕 yàn.

2. Species names

PSEUDOCHELIDONINAE SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH CHINESE JAPANESE VIETNAMESE Latin English Chinese Chinese (Taiwan) Other Ch Japanese Other J Vietnamese Other V Pseudochelidon                 Pseudochelidon siriutarae White-eyed river martin White-eyed river-martin 白眼河燕 bái-yǎn hé-yàn 'white-eyed river swallow'     アジアカワツバメ (アジア川燕) Ajia kawa- tsubame 'Asian river swallow'

HIRUNDININAE SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH CHINESE JAPANESE VIETNAMESE Latin English Chinese Chinese (Taiwan) Other Ch Japanese Other J Vietnamese Other V Riparia                 Riparia paludicola Plain martin Brown-throated sand martin (Cheng) African sand martin 褐喉沙燕 hè-hóu shā-yàn 'brown throated sand swallow' 棕沙燕 zōng shā-yàn 'reddish-brown sand swallow'   タイワンショウドウツバメ (台湾小洞燕) Taiwan shōdō tsubame 'Taiwan small hole swallow'   Nhạn nâu đỏ 'red brown swallow'   Riparia riparia Collared sand martin Sand martin (Cheng) Bank swallow 崖沙燕 yá shā-yàn 'cliff sand swallow' 灰沙燕 huī shā-yàn 'grey sand swallow' 沙燕 shā-yàn 'sand swallow' ショウドウツバメ (小洞燕) shōdō tsubame 'small hole swallow'   Nhạn nâu xám 'grey brown swallow'   Hirundo                 Hirundo rustica Barn swallow House swallow (Cheng) Swallow 家燕 jiā-yàn 'house swallow' 家燕 jiā-yàn 'house swallow' 燕子 yànzi 'swallow' 拙燕 zhuō-yàn 'clumsy swallow' ツバメ (燕) tsubame 'swallow'   Nhạn bụng trắng 'white-bellied swallow'   Hirundo tahitica Pacific swallow 洋燕 yáng yàn 'ocean swallow' (2, 4, 5) 洋斑燕 yáng bān yàn 'ocean striped swallow' (1, 3) 洋燕 yáng yàn 'ocean swallow'   リュウキュウツバメ (琉球燕) Ryūkyū tsubame 'Ryukyu swallow'   Nhạn đuôi đen 'black-tailed swallow'   Hirundo smithii Wire-tailed swallow 线尾燕 xiàn-wěi yàn 'wire-tailed swallow'     ハリオツバメ (針尾燕) hari-o tsubame 'wire-tailed swallow'   Nhạn đầu hung 'reddish-headed swallow'   Latin English Chinese Chinese (Taiwan) Other Ch Japanese Other J Vietnamese Other V Ptyonoprogne                 Ptyonoprogne rupestris Hirundo rupestris Eurasian crag martin Eurasian crag-martin Crag martin (Cheng) 岩燕 yán-yàn 'rock swallow'     ガケツバメ (崖燕) gake tsubame 'cliff swallow' チャイロツバメ (茶色燕) cha-iro tsubame 'brown swallow'     Ptyonoprogne concolor Hirundo concolor Dusky crag martin (Cheng) Dusky crag-martin Dusky crag swallow 纯色岩燕 chún-sè yán-yàn 'pure coloured rock swallow'     インドチャイロツバメ (インド茶色燕) Indo cha-iro tsubame 'Indian brown swallow'   Nhạn nâu hung 'reddish brown swallow'   Delichon                 Delichon urbicum Delichon urbica Northern house martin Northern house-martin Common house martin House martin (Cheng) 毛脚燕 máo-jiǎo-yàn 'hair-leg swallow' or 白腹毛脚燕 bái-fù máo-jiǎo-yàn 'white-breasted hair-leg swallow' (Alternative in 1)     ニシイワツバメ (西岩燕) nishi iwa tsubame 'Western rock swallow'   Nhạn hông trắng Xibêri 'Siberian white-rumped swallow'   Delichon dasypus Asian house martin (Cheng) Asian house-martin 烟腹毛脚燕 yān-fù máo-jiǎo-yàn 'smoky bellied hair-leg swallow' 東方毛腳燕 dōngfāng máo-jiǎo-yàn 'eastern hair-leg swallow'   イワツバメ (岩燕) iwa tsubame 'rock swallow'   Nhạn hông trắng Á châu 'Asian white-rumped swallow'   Delichon nipalense Delichon nipalensis Nepal house martin (Cheng) Nepal house-martin 黑喉毛脚燕 hēi-hóu máo-jiǎo-yàn 'black-throated hair-leg swallow'     ノドグロイワツバメ (喉黒岩燕) nodo-guro iwa tsubame 'black-throated rock swallow'   Nhạn hông trắng Nêpan 'Nepalese white-rumped swallow'   Cecropis                 Cecropis daurica Hirundo daurica Red-rumped swallow Golden-rumped swallow (Cheng) 金腰燕 jīn-yāo yàn 'golden-rumped swallow' 金腰燕 jīn-yāo yàn 'golden-rumped swallow' 巧燕 qiǎo-yàn 'skilful swallow' コシアカツバメ (腰赤燕) koshi-aka tsubame 'red-rumped swallow'   Nhạn bụng xám 'grey-bellied swallow'   Cecropis striolata Hirundo striolata Striated swallow (Cheng) Greater striated swallow 斑腰燕 bān-yāo yàn 'striped-rump swallow' 赤腰燕 chì-yāo yàn 'red-rumped swallow'   オオコシアカツバメ (大腰赤燕) ō koshi-aka tsubame 'large red-rumped swallow'   Nhạn bụng vằn 'striped bellied swallow'   Cecropis badia Rufous-bellied swallow - -

3. Notes

The Vietnamese word Nhạn is derived from Chinese 雁 yàn, meaning 'wild goose'. This is also the original meaning of the word in Vietnamese, but it has since undergone a change in the spoken language and means 'swallow' in modern Vietnamese.

Many Vietnamese dictionaries (including the online dictionary at KSVN) still give the meaning as 'wild goose'. Even dictionaries that give 'swallow' as the primary meaning list literary expressions that preserve the older meaning. For instance, Bui Phong's 'Vietnamese-English Dictionary' gives 'swallow, hirundo' for Nhạn, but also quotes two expressions from 18th century Vietnamese literature (the 'Story of Kieu') in which the word Nhạn means 'goose'.

4. Cultural Notes

1. In Japanese haiku, the swallow or 燕 tsubame (or つばくろ tsubakuro or つばくらめ tsubakarame) is a season word for mid-spring. (The word tsubame is also written 乙鳥 based on an old Chinese name for the swallow.)

However, in expressions like 燕帰る tsubame kaeru 'swallows return (to the south)', 去ぬ燕 inu tsubame 'departing swallows', or 残る燕 nokoru tsubame 'remaining swallows', the swallow becomes a season word for mid-autumn.

2. The character 燕 yàn is a favourite with the Chinese, being especially popular in girl's names.

3. The word tsubame in Japanese refers to an older woman's young lover.