hen

/hen/ (bre, ipa) · /hen/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhen/ (ame, mw)

hen — 名詞

  • hensingular
  • hensplural

1. a fully grown female chicken, especially one raised on a farm for the eggs it pr

1.名詞A1
釋義

母雞

成年雌性雞

a fully grown female chicken, especially one raised on a farm for the eggs it produces

例句

Every morning, Jisoo gathers eggs from the hen house.

每天早上，Jisoo 都會去雞舍撿雞蛋。

common farm context: hen house

The old hen sat on her eggs to keep them warm.

那隻老母雞坐在蛋上，讓蛋保持溫暖。

broody behaviour: sit on eggs

同義詞
  • chicken

    generic term covering both males and females; less specific

  • layer

    a hen kept specifically for egg production; narrower in meaning

反義詞
  • rooster

    adult male chicken

  • cock

    adult male chicken, more common in British English

常見錯誤

❌I saw a hen crowing at dawn.
✅I saw a rooster crowing at dawn.
💡Only male chickens (roosters) crow; hens make clucking sounds, not crowing.

2. any female bird, used especially to distinguish a female from a male of the same

2.名詞B1
釋義

雌鳥

鳥類的雌性個體

any female bird, used especially to distinguish a female from a male of the same species when they look different

例句

The male peacock is colourful, but the hen is plain brown.

雄孔雀色彩鮮豔，但雌鳥只是樸素的棕色。

male/female contrast in birds

Nikhil spotted a hen mallard leading her ducklings across the pond.

Nikhil 看到一隻雌綠頭鴨帶著小鴨游過池塘。

同義詞
  • female bird

    more general and transparent; works for any bird species

反義詞
  • cock

    male of certain bird species, especially game birds

用法筆記

Common in ornithology and birdwatching contexts. Not used for every bird species — it applies mainly to species where males and females have noticeably different appearances (sexual dimorphism).

常見錯誤

❌A hen sparrow built a nest in the tree.
✅A female sparrow built a nest in the tree.
💡'Hen' for female birds is used mostly in bird-naming (hen mallard, hen pheasant), not in everyday talk about small garden birds.

3. a bride-to-be who is the guest of honour at a celebration with only female frien

3.名詞B1
釋義

準新娘

參加告別單身派對的待嫁女子

a bride-to-be who is the guest of honour at a celebration with only female friends shortly before the marriage

例句

The bride-to-be laughed with her friends at her hen party.

那位準新娘在告別單身派對上與朋友們笑成一團。

hen party context

Esteban surprised the hen with tickets to a comedy show.

Esteban 給了準新娘一個驚喜——送她喜劇表演的門票。

同義詞
  • bride-to-be

    more formal and general; not tied to the party context

  • bachelorette

    American English equivalent of a woman at her pre-wedding party

反義詞
  • stag

    the man at his pre-wedding stag party

用法筆記

Primarily British and Commonwealth English. This sense only applies when the woman is the guest of honour at her own hen party, not someone else's. The equivalent event for men is a stag party or bachelor party.

常見錯誤

❌My sister is a hen, so we held a party for her.
✅My sister is the hen at her hen party, so we held a party for her.
💡The word 'hen' in this sense is tied to the specific event context; it is not a standalone synonym for 'bride-to-be'.

4. an informal term used in Scotland and parts of Northern England for speaking dir

4.名詞B2
釋義

暱稱

（英式口語）對女子或女孩的親切稱呼

an informal term used in Scotland and parts of Northern England for speaking directly and kindly to a female friend or acquaintance

例句

Thanks for the help, hen — I really appreciate it.

謝謝你的幫忙，hen——真的很感謝你。

used as a form of address

Don't worry about it, hen, everything will work out fine.

別擔心，hen，一切都會沒事的。

同義詞
  • dear

    more widely used term of endearment across all UK regions

  • love

    similar regional address term, used especially in Northern England

  • pet

    regional address term, common in North East England

用法筆記

Chiefly used in Scotland and Northern England. Not considered rude but highly informal — unsuitable for formal or professional settings. Similar in tone to 'love', 'dear', or 'pet' in other British regional dialects.

常見錯誤

❌Good morning, hen,' the manager said to his female employee.
✅Good morning,' the manager said.
💡Using 'hen' to address someone at work can sound too informal or even condescending. It belongs among friends or in service encounters like shops and pubs.

5. a female creature that lives in water, such as a lobster, crab, fish, or octopus

5.名詞C1
釋義

雌性水產

水生動物的雌性個體（如龍蝦、章魚等）

a female creature that lives in water, such as a lobster, crab, fish, or octopus, referred to when its sex is important for fishing, cooking, or biology

例句

A female lobster, called a hen, carries eggs under her tail.

雌龍蝦（稱為 hen）會在尾巴下攜帶卵。

common in seafood/fishing contexts

Fishermen release egg-bearing hen crabs to protect the population.

漁民放生帶卵的雌蟹，以保護族群數量。

同義詞
  • female

    broader term that works for any animal, not just aquatic ones

反義詞
  • cock

    male of certain aquatic animals such as lobsters and crabs

用法筆記

Technical or specialist register. Used in fishing, marine biology, and aquaculture. Not common in everyday conversation. Often appears as a modifier before the animal name (hen lobster, hen crab, hen fish).

常見錯誤

❌I bought a hen at the supermarket for dinner.
✅I bought a hen lobster at the supermarket for dinner.
💡When referring to seafood, 'hen' almost always appears before the animal name, not on its own.