鸟 (niǎo): bird
鸟 (niǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “bird.” Classified as HSK Level 2 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 鸟 (bird). It ranks #1255 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 鸟 simplified form of 烏, a bird. Its radical form 鸟 (bird) appears in many related characters such as 鸡 (jī, chicken), 鸭 (yā, duck), 鸣 (míng, to cry (of birds, animals and insects)).
Definitions
- bird
Etymology & Origin
pictographicSimplified form of 烏, a bird
Stroke Order
Practice writing 鸟 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小鸟 | xiǎo niǎo | small bird |
| 鸟儿 | niǎo r | bird |
| 雷鸟 | léi niǎo | capercaillie (Lagopus, several species) |
| 鸟类 | niǎo lèi | birds |
| 鸵鸟 | tuó niǎo | ostrich |
| 火烈鸟 | huǒ liè niǎo | flamingo |
| 蜂鸟 | fēng niǎo | hummingbird |
| 鸟笼 | niǎo lóng | birdcage |
| 鸟巢 | niǎo cháo | bird's nest |
| 飞鸟 | fēi niǎo | bird |
| 布谷鸟 | bù gǔ niǎo | cuckoo (Cercococcyx spp.) |
| 鸟窝 | niǎo wō | bird's nest |
| 鸟瞰 | niǎo kàn | to get a bird's-eye view |
| 鸟枪 | niǎo qiāng | flintlock musket |
| 海鸟 | hǎi niǎo | seabird |
鸟 appears in 100 compound words: 32 as the first character, 66 as the last, and 2 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 鸟 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (7)
panic-stricken person; someone who is easily frightened due to past experiences of attack or shock
to cast somebody or something aside when the purpose has been served
the appearance of a woman or a child who is dependant upon others, and is also dainty and cute
panic-stricken person; someone who is easily frightened due to past experiences of attack or shock
to cast somebody or something aside when the purpose has been served
Example Sentences
鸟儿在树上唱歌，声音很悦耳。
Niǎor zài shù shang chànggē, shēngyīn hěn yuè'ěr.
Birds are singing in the trees; their voices are very pleasant.
鄱阳湖冬夏候鸟开始“换岗”
鄱 yáng hú dōng xià hòu niǎo kāi shǐ huàn gǎng
Migratory birds in Poyang Lake began to "change the guard" in winter and summer
独家》东京烧鸟职人台北inari Izakaya炫技 ...
dú jiā dōng jīng shāo niǎo zhí rén tái běi xuàn jì . . .
Exclusive" Tokyo yakitori craftsman Taipei inari Izakaya shows off ...
【人生急转弯】林比比鸟/教官退伍后,他靠攀树翻转人生
rén shēng jí zhuǎn wān lín bǐ bǐ niǎo jiào guān tuì wǔ hòu , tā kào pān shù fān zhuǎn rén shēng
【A sharp turn in life】After Lin Bibi Bird/Instructor was discharged from the army, he turned his life around by climbing trees
广角镜/新社“樱花鸟森林” 花道迎宾
guǎng jiǎo jìng xīn shè 樱 huā niǎo sēn lín huā dào yíng bīn
Wide-angle lens/Xinshe "Cherry Blossom Bird Forest" flower path welcomes guests
...女搭捷运“大腿被蹭10秒” 低头见痴汉露鸟套弄
. . . nǚ dā jié yùn dà tuǐ bèi cèng miǎo dī tóu jiàn chī hàn lù niǎo tào nòng
Woman on MRT "had thigh rubbed for 10 seconds"—looked down to see pervert exposing himself and masturbating
这鸟你们用英语怎么称呼？
Zhè niǎo nǐmen yòng Yīngyǔ zěnme chēnghu?
What do you call this bird in English?
那只鸟叫什么名字？
Nà zhī niǎo jiào shénme míngzi?
What's that bird called?
那只鸟是死还是活的？
Nà zhǐ niǎo shì sǐ háishi huó de?
Is the bird alive or dead?
你家后院有几种鸟？
Nǐ jiā hòuyuàn yǒu jǐ zhǒng niǎo?
How many kinds of birds are in your backyard?
Character Family
Homophones — Characters pronounced niǎo
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 鸟 (niǎo) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 鸟 have?
What is the radical of 鸟?
What are common words containing 鸟?
What characters sound the same as 鸟 (niǎo)?
Is 鸟 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 鸟 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.