雀

qiāo, què

小 + 隹

Definitions

què (noun) sparrow; small bird

qiāo (noun) freckle; lentigo

Etymology

A small 小 bird 隹

About

雀 is a compound character formed by placing 小 (xiǎo, 'small') directly above 隹 (zhuī, 'short-tailed bird'). Together, they create a clear picture of a small bird, specifically the sparrow or finch. In Chinese, this character is not limited to the bird itself; it occurs in compounds that evoke sparrows, such as 麻雀, the word for Mahjong in several regional dialects. The name arises from the resemblance between the clattering tiles and the noisy chatter of a flock of sparrows.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

树上有一只麻雀。

Shù shàng yǒu yī zhī máquè.

There is a sparrow in the tree.

麻雀在吃虫子。

Máquè zài chī chóngzi.

The sparrow is eating insects.

那只雀鸟飞走了。

Nà zhī quèniǎo fēi zǒu le.

That small bird flew away.

公园里有很多麻雀。

Gōngyuán lǐ yǒu hěn duō máquè.

There are many sparrows in the park.

孔雀的羽毛很美丽。

Kǒngquè de yǔmáo hěn měilì.

The peacock's feathers are very beautiful.

麻雀虽然小，但很灵活。

Máquè suīrán xiǎo, dàn hěn línghuó.

Although sparrows are small, they are very agile.

清晨，雀鸟的叫声唤醒了我。

Qīngchén, quèniǎo de jiàoshēng huànxǐng le wǒ.

In the early morning, the birds' songs woke me up.

保护麻雀对生态平衡很重要。

Bǎohù máquè duì shēngtài pínghéng hěn zhòngyào.

Protecting sparrows is important for ecological balance.

Related Characters

Component: 小

Component: 隹

雀