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The aim of this study is to analyze the emotional expression tendencies in Japanese and Korean, focusing specifically on bird-related vocabulary, and to compare and contrast the expressive features of both languages. Based on prior study, birds that frequently appear in emotional expressions in both Japanese and Korean were selected, namely: ‘crow’, ‘hawk’, ‘swallow’, ‘crane’, and ‘pigeon’. This study examined how these bird-related words are associated with particular emotional tendencies in linguistic expressions across both languages. As a result, in the case of the ‘crow’ Japanese expressions frequently used it to convey both unpleasant and positive emotions, while Korean expressions often associated it with unpleasant and fearful emotions. The ‘hawk’ was associated in Japanese expressions with fear and a sense of tension or urgency, whereas in Korean expressions, it was mainly used to convey fear. As for the ‘swallow’ in Japanese expressions, unpleasant emotions were overwhelmingly dominant, while in Korean expressions, it was mainly linked to positive and sorrowful or pitiful emotions. The ‘crane’ was mostly associated with positive emotions and a sense of tension or urgency in Japanese expressions, while in Korean expressions, it was overwhelmingly linked to positive emotions. Lastly, the ‘pigeon’ was commonly associated in Japanese expressions with surprise and positive feelings, and in Korean expressions, it appeared frequently across a wide range of emotions including sadness, positive feelings, unpleasant feelings, and a sense of comfort or peace. Notably, in Japanese emotional expressions, ‘crow’ showed a unique tendency by also conveying positive emotions, which is relatively uncommon in other linguistic contexts. Upon examining the reason behind this, it is assumed that the image of the crow has been positively shaped in Japanese culture due to the mythological figure ‘Yatagarasu’, a sacred crow that appears in Japanese mythology, as well as the nurturing behavior observed in real-life crows. Analyzing the choice of animal-related vocabulary in emotional expression across languages, along with the underlying causes of these emotional associations, can significantly aid foreign language learners in understanding such expressions more deeply. This study aims to contribute to the diversification of vocabulary research within the field of emotional expression.