How to Write 鹁 (bó) — Meaning “Wood pigeon”

Imagine a wood pigeon suddenly flapping its wings and startling you, making a sound like 'bó'! The top part 孛 looks like a cross or a burst, which can remind you of the bird's sudden movement, while the bottom 鸟 clearly shows it's a bird.

The top part 孛 has a horizontal stroke that should be longer than the one below, and the vertical stroke goes through. The bottom part 鸟 is narrower than the top; be careful not to make the bird radical too wide. A common mistake is writing 孛 too small or forgetting the dot in 鸟.

鹁 (bó) means 'wood pigeon' and has the bird radical 鸟 below 孛. 袅 (niǎo) means 'slender' or 'wispy' and has the clothing radical 衣 on top with the bird radical below, looking elongated. 鸪 (gū) is also a bird character, but it pairs with 鹁 to form 鹁鸪 (turtle dove); 鸪 alone is not used independently.

鹁 is rarely used alone; it appears in compound words like 鹁鸪 (bó gū, turtle dove) and 鹁鸽 (bó gē, domestic pigeon). In Chinese culture, turtle doves (鹁鸪) are often associated with gentle, cooing sounds and appear in classical poetry to evoke a peaceful, rustic atmosphere.

Common words containing 鹁 include: 鹁鸪 (bó gū) — Turtle dove; 鹁鸽 (bó gē) — Domestic pigeon; 鹁鸠 (bó jiū) — Turtle dove / Wood pigeon.