wing, plane, flank

About this kanji

The kanji 「翼」 (tsubasa) means "wing" and can refer to both birds' wings and airplane wings. It is commonly used as a noun but can appear in verbs occasionally. You might encounter it in compounds such as 右翼 (うよく, uyoku), meaning "right wing" in a political context, and 左翼 (さよく, sayoku), meaning "left wing." Another example is 一翼 (いちよく, ichiyoku), which means "one wing" and can refer to a part of a plane or metaphorically to part of a team. An interesting note is that while it mainly refers to wings, it can also represent concepts of support or protection, similar to how wings provide safety to those beneath them.

Example sentences

• 鳥は自由に翼を広げる。

  The bird spreads its wings freely.

Meanings across languages

English

wing, plane, flank

Tiếng Việt

cánh

日本語

翼

한국어

날개

中文

翼

id

sayap

th

ปีก

es

ala

fr

aile

de

Flügel

pt

asa

Common compounds

• 右翼うよくright wing, right wing (of a bird or aircraft), right wing (of an army, building, etc.)
• 左翼さよくleft wing, left wing (of a bird or aircraft), left wing (of an army, building, etc.)
• 一翼いちよくone wing, (a) role, (a) part
• 主翼しゅよくmain wings (of an aeroplane, airplane)
• 両翼りょうよくboth wings, both flanks
• 尾翼びよくtail (of an aircraft), empennage, tail assembly
• 最右翼さいうよくdominant person, preeminent person, strongest contender
• 羽翼うよくwings and feathers, assistance, aid