How to Write 鹚 (cí) — Meaning “cormorant”

Imagine a cormorant wearing a "zipper" (sounds like 兹) on its beak to help it catch fish. The bird radical 鸟 on the right reminds you it is a bird, so the whole picture makes the character easy to recall.

Write 兹 first (9 strokes) then the bird radical 鸟 (5 strokes). A common mistake is confusing the bottom of 兹 — it is 幺 (two short lines and a hook), not 糸 (silk radical). Keep the components balanced horizontally.

鹚 uses 兹 on top (meaning cormorant), while 鹁 has 孛 on top (meaning pigeon) and 鹂 uses 丽 (meaning oriole). Visually, the top parts are distinct: 兹 has a 䒑 and 幺; 孛 has 十 and 子; 丽 is simpler. Their pronunciations and meanings also differ completely.

鹚 appears almost only in the word 鸬鹚 (lú cí), meaning "cormorant". It is not common in daily speech but appears in nature writing, traditional fishing contexts, or poetry. In Chinese culture, cormorants have been used by fishermen along rivers for centuries, so the term carries a rustic, historical feel.

Common words containing 鹚 include: 鸬鹚 (lú cí) — Cormorant; 鸬鹚鸟 (lú cí niǎo) — Cormorant bird; 养鸬鹚 (yǎng lú cí) — raise cormorants.