鸟

marks the character as naming a bird or something bird-related · Character component

marks the character as naming a bird or something bird-related

The old graph was a side view of a bird: a head with a prominent eye and beak at the top, a rounded body with a folded wing, and legs and tail feathers trailing below. The full form 鳥 still shows this, with four short strokes at the bottom for the feet and tail; the simplified 鸟 keeps the dot for the eye, the hooked stroke for the head and beak, the enclosed body with one stroke inside it, and flattens the tail and feet into a single horizontal line. In most characters it sits on the left or under another element and simply tells you a bird is meant, as in 鹅 goose, 鹊 magpie, 鹦 parrot and 鹳 crane. A few characters use it for its shape or sound rather than its meaning, such as 岛 island, where a bird perches over a mountain, and 袅.

鸟 at a glance

Meaning

marks the character as naming a bird or something bird-related

Strokes

5

Characters

78

Role

Contributes meaning

Characters with 鸟

Frequently asked questions