How to Write 鹡 (jí) — Meaning “wagtail (bird)”

Imagine a bird with a long, spine-like tail that constantly wags up and down. The left part 脊 looks like a spine, and the right part 鸟 is the bird itself. This visual of a "spine-bird" helps you recall the character for wagtail.

Write the left side 脊 first, then the right side 鸟. The left part is complex with many strokes — be careful not to make it too wide or to confuse its top shape with similar parts. A common mistake is writing the right side 鸟 too small, so balance the two sides proportionally.

All three are bird characters, but they have different left-side components. 鹡 uses 脊 (spine), 鹉 uses 武 (military), and 鹊 uses 昔 (past). Their meanings are different: 鹡 means wagtail, 鹉 means parrot, and 鹊 means magpie. The pronunciations also differ: jí, wǔ, and què.

鹡 is rarely used alone today. It mainly appears in the word 鹡鸰 (jí líng, wagtail), which is found in classical literature and bird names. In Chinese culture, 鹡鸰 symbolizes brotherly love, from an ancient poem about brothers helping each other in danger.

Common words containing 鹡 include: 鹡鸰 (jí líng) — wagtail; 鹡鸰鸟 (jí líng niǎo) — wagtail bird; 水鹡鸰 (shuǐ jí líng) — Wagtail.