啾

jiū

口 + 秋

Definitions

jiū (onom.) wailing of child; chirp; kiss (Tw)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 秋 represents the sound.

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 秋

About

啾 is a phono-semantic compound: the left-side element 口 (mouth) serves as the semantic radical, pointing to a vocalization or oral sound, while the right-side element 秋 (qiū, 'autumn') acts as the phonetic, guiding the pronunciation. This structure yields an onomatopoeic character that captures the high-pitched, repetitive sounds of small animals, such as the chirping of birds and the squeaking of insects. In actual usage, 啾 rarely appears alone; it is almost always found in the reduplicated form 啾啾 (jiūjiū), which doubles the character to mimic the continuous, soft, high-pitched sounds, making it a favorite in poetry and descriptive writing.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

小鸟啾啾地唱歌。

Xiǎo niǎo jiūjiū de chànggē.

The little birds chirp and sing.

清晨，窗外传来啾啾鸟鸣。

Qīngchén, chuāngwài chuánlái jiūjiū niǎomíng.

In the early morning, chirping bird sounds come from outside the window.

她给了孩子一个轻轻的啾吻。

Tā gěile háizi yīgè qīngqīng de jiūwěn.

She gave the child a light kiss with a "mwah" sound.

森林里充满了各种啾啾声。

Sēnlín lǐ chōngmǎnle gèzhǒng jiūjiū shēng.

The forest is full of various chirping sounds.

那只麻雀啾啾地呼唤同伴。

Nà zhī máquè jiūjiū de hūhuàn tóngbàn.

That sparrow chirps to call its companions.

在安静的夜晚，虫鸣和鸟啾交织在一起。

Zài ānjìng de yèwǎn, chóngmíng hé niǎo jiū jiāozhī zài yīqǐ.

In the quiet night, insect sounds and bird chirps intertwine.

听到熟悉的啾啾声，他知道春天来了。

Tīngdào shúxī de jiūjiū shēng, tā zhīdào chūntiān láile.

Hearing the familiar chirping, he knew spring had arrived.

微风拂过，树梢的鸟儿啾啾作响，仿佛在演奏自然交响曲。

Wēifēng fúguò, shùshāo de niǎo'er jiūjiū zuòxiǎng, fǎngfú zài yǎnzòu zìrán jiāoxiǎngqǔ.

The breeze brushed by, and the birds on the treetops chirped, as if performing a natural symphony.

Related Characters

Component: 口

Component: 秋

啾