How to Write 鸶 (sī) — Meaning “egret / heron”

Imagine a graceful egret standing in a lake, with its white feathers looking as smooth and delicate as white silk (丝). The bird (鸟) has silk-like feathers, so 鸶 reminds you of a silk bird. This helps connect the shape to the meaning of egret.

The top part 丝 has two small "silk" components side by side; make sure they are even in size and not too wide. The bottom part 鸟 has a short horizontal stroke on top and a long hook below; keep the bird centered under the silk part. A common mistake is making the top too large, which makes the character unbalanced.

袅 (niǎo) describes something slender and delicate, like willow branches or smoke, and its bottom is 衣 (clothing) instead of 鸟. 鸢 (yuān) means a kite bird and has a top part that looks like an ancient dagger-axe (弋) instead of silk. Remember that 鸶 specifically has the bird radical and a silk-like sound, so it always refers to a type of water bird.

鸶 is not a common standalone character; it mostly appears in the word 鹭鸶 (lù sī) for egret, which you might see in nature writing or poetry. Egrets are admired in Chinese culture for their white plumage and elegance, often appearing in classical poems about lakes and rivers. You will rarely need to write 鸶 by itself, but recognizing it helps when reading names of birds or literary descriptions.

Common words containing 鸶 include: 鹭鸶 (lù sī) — egret; 白鹭鸶 (bái lù sī) — Egret; 鸶鸟 (sī niǎo) — egret.