How to Write 鹪 (jiāo) — Meaning “wren”

Imagine a wren that flew too close to a fire and got slightly scorched — 焦 means "burned" and 鸟 means "bird". This silly picture links the sound jiāo and the meaning "wren" in your mind.

The left part 焦 (12 strokes) must be written narrower than the right part 鸟 (5 strokes). Pay special attention to the four fire dots at the bottom of 焦 — space them evenly and keep them separate from the strokes above.

鹪 (jiāo, wren) has 焦 on the left, while 鹞 (yào, harrier) has 䍃 on the left, and 鹠 (liú, often an owl) has 留 on the left. Their left components look different, and they refer to different birds: wren, bird of prey, and owl.

鹪 is rare by itself but appears in the word 鹪鹩 (jiāo liáo) meaning "wren". In Chinese culture, the wren is a symbol of humility and being content with little, as in the idiom "鹪鹩巢林" meaning a wren's nest in the forest.

Common words containing 鹪 include: 鹪鹩 (jiāo liáo) — wren; 小鹪鹩 (xiǎo jiāo liáo) — Little wren; 鹪鹩巢 (jiāo liáo cháo) — wren's nest.