How to Write 鹠 (liú) — Meaning “owl (specifically pygmy owl)”

Imagine a small owl that stays (留) quietly in a tree, watching for mice. The left side 留 sounds like 'liu' which reminds you of 'little owl,' and the right side 鸟 clearly means bird. So picture a 'staying bird' that hunts at night.

The left part 留 has 10 strokes and its top is a small 'hair' radical (𠂉) over 田, not 田 alone. The right side 鸟 has 5 strokes, and the bottom 'hook' should be curved and not too long. A common mistake is making the left part too wide—keep it narrow so the whole character stays balanced.

鹠 specifically means 'pygmy owl' or 'owlet,' while 鹉 (wǔ) means 'parrot' and 鹊 (què) means 'magpie.' Visually, 鹠 has 留 on the left, 鹊 has 昔 (xī) on the left, and 鹉 has 武 (wǔ) on the left. Their meanings are completely different bird types.

鹠 is not a common character in daily life and is mostly found in bird names or scientific texts. It appears in words like 鸺鹠 (xiū liú) for 'pygmy owl' and 小鸺鹠 for 'little owlet.' Culturally, owls can be seen as wise in some contexts, but 鹠 itself carries no special symbolism beyond its literal meaning.

Common words containing 鹠 include: 鸺鹠 (xiū liú) — pygmy owl / owlet; 鹠鸟 (liú niǎo) — scops owl; 小鸺鹠 (xiǎo xiū liú) — Little owlet.