How to Write 鴂 (jué) — Meaning “Shrike (bird)”

Imagine a shrike (鴂) as a bird (鳥) that behaves like a dog (犮) because it hunts and stores food on thorns. The sound of 鴂 is like 'jewel,' so you can think of a 'jewel of a bird' that is small but fierce.

The right component 犮 is often confused with 犬 (dog), but 犮 has an extra horizontal stroke at the top before the dog part. When writing 鴂, make sure the right side starts with a short horizontal line, then a left-falling stroke, and finally a right-falling stroke for the 犬 shape.

Common words include 鴂鸟 (shrike bird), 鸣鴂 (singing shrike), and 伯鴂 (another name for shrike). These appear mostly in classical Chinese poetry, such as the phrase '七月鸣鴂' from the Book of Songs, which describes the shrike's call in July.

鴂 is rarely used in everyday modern Chinese; people usually say 伯劳 (bóláo) for shrike instead. You might encounter 鴂 in old literature, bird encyclopedias, or when discussing traditional seasonal songs, but it is considered a classical or specialized character.

Common words containing 鴂 include: 鴂鸟 (jué niǎo) — Shrike; 鸣鴂 (míng jué) — Shrike; 伯鴂 (bó jué) — Shrike (a type of bird)..