How to Write 隺 (hú) — Meaning “crane; white (rare variant)”

Imagine a crane wearing a tall hat — the top part 隹 looks like a bird with a crest, and the bottom 冖 is like a wide hat brim. This helps you recall 隺 means "crane" and its use in words about standing tall.

Write the top radical 隹 first: left dot, then the three horizontal lines (short, long, short), then vertical line, and finally the right dot. The bottom 冖 is a horizontal dash curving down to the left and right; do not make it too wide — it should support the bird above. A common mistake is forgetting the dot inside the bottom part or making the top bird too small.

隹 (zhuī) is a generic bird radical with a smaller shape and no bottom cover, while 隼 (sǔn) means "falcon" and has a 十 (ten) component on top instead of 冖. 隺 has the cover 冖 below the bird, giving it a distinct "standing" look unique to the crane meaning.

隺 is rare in modern Chinese and not in HSK, but it appears in literary or classical contexts — for example, 隺立 (hú lì) describes standing tall like a crane, often used in poetry. The character also carries a sense of purity or whiteness (隺然), linking to the crane's symbolic meaning of longevity and grace in Chinese culture.

Common words containing 隺 include: 隺立 (hú lì) — to stand tall like a crane; 隺然 (hú rán) — white and pure appearance; 隺望 (hú wàng) — to look out from a height.