How to Write 鸯 (yāng) — Meaning “Female mandarin duck”

Picture a mandarin duck (鸟) sitting right in the middle (央) of a pond. This combines the 'center' part with the 'bird' to remind you of the duck's central spot.

Make sure the top part 央 (yāng) is written with a narrow center, and the bottom radical 鸟 (bird) is slightly wider. A common mistake is making the top too wide or forgetting the small dot on top of the bird's head.

鸯 (yāng) means female mandarin duck and contains the bird radical 鸟. 袅 (niǎo) means slender or curling smoke and has a different top component (鸟 on top of 衣). 鸢 (yuān) means kite (bird of prey) and has the bird radical but with a different top part (弋).

鸯 almost always appears in the word 鸳鸯 (yuān yāng), which refers to mandarin ducks as a pair. This symbol of love is also used in food names like 鸳鸯火锅 (split-pot hot pot) and 鸳鸯奶茶 (coffee-tea mix), representing two things combined.

Common words containing 鸯 include: 鸳鸯 (yuān yāng) — mandarin ducks / an affectionate couple; 鸳鸯火锅 (yuān yāng huǒ guō) — split pot hot pot (two-flavor hot pot); 鸳鸯奶茶 (yuān yāng nǎi chá) — Yuenyeung (coffee mixed with tea).