The word 乌鸦 (wūyā, meaning "crow") is formed by combining two characters that each contribute a key aspect of the concept. The first character, 乌, means "black" and describes the crow's most prominent visual characteristic. The second character, 鸦, is a generic term for a crow-like or jackdaw-like bird. Together, they create a precise, visually descriptive compound where the modifier (black) specifies the type of the general bird, essentially forming the idea of "the black bird of the crow family".