How to Write 鹉 (wǔ) — Meaning “Parrot”

Imagine a parrot doing martial arts, because the right side 武 means military or martial. Picture a colorful parrot practicing kung fu moves to link the bird radical with the sound wǔ from 武.

Write the left side 鸟 first, ensuring the top stroke is short and the bottom four dots are evenly spaced. For the right side 武, note that the hook stroke (斜钩) comes before the final dot, and the overall balance keeps both sides similar in height.

鹉 specifically means parrot, with the right side 武 (wǔ). 鸷 (zhì) means bird of prey, with right side 执 (grasp), while 鸸 (ér) is used in 鸸鹋 (emu), with right side 而 (ér). Visually, 鹉 has 武, 鸷 has 执, and 鸸 has 而.

鹉 is almost always used in the compound 鹦鹉 (yīng wǔ) meaning parrot. It appears in idioms like 鹦鹉学舌, which describes someone repeating others' words without understanding, similar to a parrot mimicking speech.

Common words containing 鹉 include: 鹦鹉 (yīng wǔ) — parrot; 小鹦鹉 (xiǎo yīng wǔ) — Little parrot; 鹦鹉学舌 (yīng wǔ xué shé) — to parrot; to repeat what others say without understanding.