How to Write 鹱 (hù) — Meaning “shearwater or petrel”

Imagine a seabird (鸟) flying over the ocean while making a call that sounds like 'hù hù'. The right side 蒦 looks like a net, so you can picture the bird being caught in a fisherman's net near the sea. This combines the bird radical with a visual scene to recall the meaning and pronunciation.

Write the left radical 鸟 first, with its 5 strokes, then the right part 蒦 which has 13 strokes. A common mistake is making the left and right sides uneven — the right side is larger and more complex, so keep the bird radical smaller and higher on the left. Pay attention to the many horizontal strokes in 蒦, keeping them parallel and evenly spaced.

鹱 (hù) means a type of seabird like a shearwater, while 鹦 (yīng) means parrot and 鹧 (zhè) means partridge. Visually, 鹱 has the right component 蒦 (which includes a grass-like top), 鹦 has 婴 (baby), and 鹧 has 者 (person). In usage, 鹦 and 鹧 appear in common bird names like '鹦鹉' (parrot) and '鹧鸪' (partridge), whereas 鹱 is very rare and mainly used in scientific terms.

鹱 is almost exclusively used in scientific or technical contexts, such as in '鹱形目' (Procellariiformes) referring to an order of seabirds. It is not found in everyday conversation or HSK vocabulary. Culturally, shearwaters are known for their long-distance ocean flights, but the character itself carries no special symbolic meaning in Chinese tradition.

Common words containing 鹱 include: 鹱形目 (hù xíng mù) — Procellariiformes (order of seabirds); 小鹱 (xiǎo hù) — Little shearwater; 海鹱 (hǎi hù) — Petrel.