How to say "falcon" in Japanese

• はやぶさCommon
  nounThe specific word for a falcon, above all the peregrine falcon; use it when the bird is meant to be a falcon proper, as in wildlife talk.
• たかCommon
  nounPrimarily 'hawk'; its falcon sense is loose and general, so it is seldom the word you want when the bird is specifically a falcon — that calls for はやぶさ.
  その鳥とりは鷹たかの半分はんぶんの大おおきさしかなかった。↗

  The bird was half the size of a hawk.

Use 「はやぶさ」 for a falcon as a specific bird, especially the peregrine falcon; 「たか」 is primarily 'hawk' and covers falcons only in loose, general reference.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• はやぶさfalcon (esp. the peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus)
• たかhawk
• ファルコンfalcon