How to Write 鸲 (qú) — Meaning “robin / myna”

Imagine a myna bird that can repeat phrases: it says "qu" (like 句) because it mimics human speech. The bird radical 鸟 on the right reminds you it is a bird, so 鸲 is the "talking bird" - the myna.

Write left side 句 first: start with a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal hook, then a vertical stroke, then a horizontal fold, and a final horizontal. Then write 鸟: begin with a left-falling stroke, then the same hook, a dot, a vertical-horizontal-hook, and a final horizontal line. Common mistake: making the 鸟 radical too wide – keep it narrow and balanced with the left side.

鸲 has 句 on the left and 鸟 on the right, while 鸢 has 弋 (a short horizontal with a slant) on top and 鸟 on the bottom. 袅 has 鸟 on the top and 衣 (clothing) on the bottom, meaning slender or wispy. Their meanings are completely different: 鸲 is a bird, 鸢 is a kite (bird), and 袅 describes something delicate.

鸲 is not a common daily character, but it appears in bird names like 鸲鹆 (qú yù, crested myna) and 蓝鸲 (lán qú, bluebird). It is mostly used in zoology or literature. The crested myna is especially popular in Chinese culture for its ability to mimic human speech.

Common words containing 鸲 include: 鸲鹆 (qú yù) — crested myna; 蓝鸲 (lán qú) — bluebird; 鸲鹟 (qú wēng) — robin (flycatcher).