How to Write 雀 (què) — Meaning “sparrow; small bird”

Picture a tiny sparrow with a small tuft of feathers on its head — the top part 小 looks like that little tuft, and 隹 is the bird body. This helps you remember that 雀 means "small bird."

Write 小 first with three strokes: a left dot, a hook, and a right dot. Then write 隹 underneath with eight strokes, keeping the top narrow and centered. A common mistake is making 小 too wide or forgetting the right dot.

䧹 is an ancient character meaning "hawk" and has a different top component, while 隺 is an old word for "crane" or "high" and is rarely used. In contrast, 雀 is a common modern character that always refers to small birds like sparrows.

雀 appears in common words like 麻雀 (sparrow) and 孔雀 (peacock). It is also used for freckles (雀斑), literally "sparrow spots." Culturally, sparrows are often seen lively and cheerful, which is reflected in the idiom 欢呼雀跃 (jump for joy like sparrows).

Common words containing 雀 include: 麻雀 (má què) — sparrow; 孔雀 (kǒng què) — peacock; 雀斑 (què bān) — freckles.