1.
chick; baby bird; young bird
A newly hatched or very young bird. Used for birds in general, not just chickens.
巣に雛がいる。
There are chicks in the nest.
親鳥が雛に餌を運んでいる。
The parent bird is carrying food to the chicks.
卵から雛がかえるまで約三週間かかる。
It takes about three weeks for chicks to hatch from the eggs.
2.
doll (for Hinamatsuri); hina doll
Ornamental dolls displayed for the Girls' Day festival (Hinamatsuri) on March 3rd. Short for 雛人形.
雛を飾る。
Display the hina dolls.
三月になったら雛を出しましょう。
Let's bring out the hina dolls when March comes.
祖母から受け継いだ雛は、もう百年も前のものだ。
The hina dolls I inherited from my grandmother are from over a hundred years ago.
USAGE:
In sense 1, 雛 refers to baby birds of any species. In sense 2, it is short for 雛人形, the ornamental dolls displayed during 雛祭り (Girls' Day, March 3rd). Context usually makes the intended meaning clear.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 雛がかえる (chicks hatch)
- 雛を育てる (to raise chicks)
- 雛を飾る (to display hina dolls)
- 雛を片付ける (to put away the hina dolls)
CULTURE:
There is a superstition that if the hina dolls are not put away promptly after March 3rd, the daughter of the household will have a late marriage.