鵺 (yè) - Nue — a legendary yōkai (monster) from Japanese & known for its terrifying cry and association with

鵺Tone 4

yè ｜ 19 strokes ｜ radical:

嬿一

鵺 · yè

Nue — a legendary yōkai (monster) from Japanese mythology with the head of a monkey, body of a raccoon dog, legs of a tiger, and tail of a snake;

known for its terrifying cry and association with misfortune.

Nue — a legendary yōkai (monster) from Japaneseknown for its terrifying cry and association with

Usage highlights

Nue monsterNue's crySubduing the nueNue legendNue as a mysterious birdNue appearance

Synonyms

  • 妖鳥— monstrous bird; phantom bird
  • 怪異— strange apparition; mystery

Antonyms

  • 瑞鳥— auspicious bird (e.g., phoenix)
  • 神獣— sacred beast; divine creature

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The nue is a chimera-like creature (鵺) from Japanese folklore.
  • Its cry was said to be ominous (鵺の鳴き声).
  • The tale of the nue appears in Heian-period texts (鵺の物語).
  • Minamoto no Yorimasa famously defeated a nue (鵺退治).

Collocations

  • Nue monster(鵺)
  • Nue's cry(鵺の鳴き声)
  • Subduing the nue(鵺退治)
  • Nue legend(鵺伝説)
  • Nue as a mysterious bird(怪鳥鵺)
  • Nue appearance(鵺の姿)

Idioms

  • Like the cry of the nue(鵺の鳴く声の如し)
  • The nue of the black cloud(黒雲の鵺)
  • The night-crawling nue(夜這いの鵺)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originates from Japanese Heian-period texts like The Tale of the Heike; described as a harbinger of illness and misfortune.
  • Famously slain by the warrior Minamoto no Yorimasa, an event celebrated in Noh and Kabuki theater.
  • Its name is sometimes used metaphorically for something of an ambiguous or hybrid nature.

FAQ