Definitions

zhāo used in 啁哳[zhāo zhā]; Taiwan pr. [zhōu]
zhōu twittering of birds

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

啁 primarily represents the chirping or twittering of small birds. Structurally, it is a phono-semantic compound: the left component 口 (mouth) provides the semantic category, relating the character to sound production or animal calls, while the right component 周 (zhōu) serves as the phonetic marker, indicating its pronunciation. It is most commonly found in the binomial compound 啁啾 (zhōujiū), which vividly depicts the sound of birds calling to one another.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern