How to Write 枭 (xiāo) — Meaning “owl; ruthless person”

Think of a wooden (木) bird (鸟) that is an owl—a fierce hunter in the treetops. The character looks like a bird sitting on a branch, which helps you recall both the sound xiāo and the meaning of a ruthless person.

Write the top 木 first (4 strokes: horizontal, vertical, left-falling, right-falling). Then the bottom part is 鸟 but with only 4 strokes: a left-falling stroke, a horizontal hook, a dot, and a vertical hook—do not add the final horizontal line that appears in the full 鸟 character.

枭 has 木 on top and a bird below, meaning owl or ruthless person. 朱 has 木 with a horizontal line through it and means red or a surname. 朴 has 木 on the left and 卜 on the right, meaning simple or unadorned. The visual difference is the bottom part and the middle stroke.

枭 appears in words like 毒枭 (drug lord), 枭雄 (ruthless leader), and 枭首 (to behead and display). In Chinese culture, the owl is considered an unlucky bird, so the character carries a negative tone, often describing cruel or ambitious people.

Common words containing 枭 include: 毒枭 (dú xiāo) — Drug lord; 枭雄 (xiāo xióng) — a person of unusual ability and ambition; ruthless leader; 枭首 (xiāo shǒu) — to behead and display the head in public.