tori ga habataku.

It is read:

とり が はばたく。

Word by word:

• 鳥 → とり = bird
• が → が = subject marker
• 羽ばたく → はばたく = to flap one’s wings

In normal Japanese writing, it would usually be written without spaces:

鳥が羽ばたく。

が marks 鳥 as the subject of the verb.

So the structure is basically:

• 鳥 = bird
• が = is the one that...
• 羽ばたく = flaps its wings

A natural way to think of it is:

The bird is the thing doing the flapping.

Both are possible in Japanese, but they give slightly different nuance.

• 鳥が羽ばたく。
  Focuses on the bird as the subject, as in it is the bird that flaps or simply presents the event.

• 鳥は羽ばたく。
  Makes bird the topic, more like as for birds, they flap their wings or the bird flaps in a more topic-comment way.

In a very simple isolated sentence like this, が is perfectly natural because it straightforwardly marks the subject.

羽ばたく means to flap one’s wings or to beat one’s wings.

It is more specific than 飛ぶ, which means to fly.

So:

• 鳥が飛ぶ。 = The bird flies.
• 鳥が羽ばたく。 = The bird flaps its wings.

A bird can 羽ばたく as part of flying, but the verb specifically highlights the wing motion.

This is a normal Japanese pattern called okurigana.

• 羽 carries the main meaning related to wings / feathers
• ばたく is written in hiragana as part of the verb ending

So 羽ばたく is the standard mixed writing. You may also sometimes see it written fully in hiragana as はばたく, especially in children’s materials or when the writer wants a softer look.

It is the dictionary form or plain non-past form.

That form can express:

• a general fact
• a habitual action
• a present action in some contexts
• a future action, depending on context

So 鳥が羽ばたく。 could mean things like:

• A bird flaps its wings
• Birds flap their wings
• The bird will flap its wings

The exact time reference depends on context.

Japanese nouns usually do not show singular vs. plural the way English does.

So 鳥 can mean:

• a bird
• the bird
• birds

The context tells you which is meant.

In a general statement, English might translate it as Birds flap their wings.
In a specific scene, it might be The bird flaps its wings.

Because 羽ばたく already includes the idea of flapping wings.

So Japanese does not need to say something like the bird flaps its wings word for word every time. The verb itself carries that meaning.

That is why a short sentence like 鳥が羽ばたく。 is complete and natural.

Japanese basic word order is often subject + object + verb, and the verb normally comes at the end.

In this sentence there is no object, so you get:

• 鳥 = subject
• が = subject marker
• 羽ばたく = verb

So 鳥が羽ばたく。 follows a very normal Japanese sentence pattern.

No. Standard Japanese normally does not use spaces between words.

So this sentence would usually appear as:

鳥が羽ばたく。

Spaces are often added in beginner materials to make the structure easier to see.

It is the Japanese full stop, equivalent to the English period.

So:

• English: .
• Japanese: 。

It marks the end of the sentence.