孵卵(ふらん)

ふらん
noun
incubation; hatching
scienceanimal-general
1. incubation; hatching of eggs
The process of keeping eggs warm so that the embryos inside develop and eventually hatch. Used for both natural incubation by parent birds and artificial incubation using machines.
孵卵(ふらん)器(き)で卵(たまご)を温(あたた)める。
Warm the eggs in an incubator.
鶏(にわとり)の孵卵(ふらん)期間(きかん)はおよそ二十一(にじゅういち)日(にち)です。
The incubation period for chickens is approximately twenty-one days.
希少(きしょう)な鳥類(ちょうるい)の保護(ほご)プログラムでは、人工(じんこう)孵卵(ふらん)によってひなを育(そだ)て、自然(しぜん)に放(はな)す取(と)り組(く)みが行(おこな)われている。
In conservation programs for rare birds, chicks are raised through artificial incubation and released into the wild.

Composed of 孵(ふ) (hatch) and 卵(らん) (egg). The character 孵(ふ) is specific to the hatching process and is not commonly used outside this compound.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 孵化(ふか): hatching (the moment of emerging from the egg, rather than the incubation process)
  • 抱卵(ほうらん): brooding; sitting on eggs (the act of a bird sitting on its eggs to warm them)

Usage

孵卵(ふらん) emphasizes the warming and development process, while 孵化(ふか) emphasizes the moment of hatching. In practice, 孵卵器(ふらんき) (incubator) is the most commonly encountered form of this word.

Related Words

Compare: 孵化(ふか) (hatching)
general
Added 2026.5.3 9:00 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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