How to Write 鹕 (hú) — Meaning “pelican”

Imagine a pelican with a big beard (胡) under its beak, because its pouch looks like a beard hanging down. The bird radical 鸟 on the right reminds you it is a bird. This mental image links the sound "hú" to the pelican's appearance.

Write the left part 胡 first, keeping it slightly narrower so the whole character is balanced. The right part 鸟 has 5 strokes and should be placed at the same height. A common mistake is making the left side too wide, which makes the character look uneven.

The key difference is the left side: 鹕 has 胡 (hú), 鹁 has 孛 (bèi), and 鹂 has 丽 (lì). All three are bird names, but 鹕 specifically means pelican, while 鹁 refers to a pigeon-like bird and 鹂 means oriole. Visually, the left components are distinct and give each character its unique pronunciation.

鹕 is rarely used alone; it almost always appears in the compound word 鹈鹕 (tí hú), meaning "pelican." You will see it in books, zoo signs, or nature documentaries, but it is not part of common daily vocabulary. Pelicans are not native to China, so the character has no special cultural symbolism.

Common words containing 鹕 include: 鹈鹕 (tí hú) — Pelican; 鹈鹕鸟 (tí hú niǎo) — Pelican bird; 小鹈鹕 (xiǎo tí hú) — Little pelican.