How to Write 喿 (zào) — Meaning “chirping of birds”

Imagine three little birds sitting on a tree branch, each with an open mouth (口) making noise. The three mouths stacked above the tree (木) create the sound of chirping all together.

Write the top part 品 first: left 口, then top 口, then right 口, keeping them small and evenly spaced. Then write 木 below: horizontal stroke, vertical stroke through the center, left-falling stroke, and right-falling stroke. A common mistake is making the three mouths too large or not aligning them above the tree.

喿 has three mouths on top and means bird chirping, while 唪 (fěng) has 奉 on top and means to chant or recite by humans. 㕡 is a very rare character with a different structure (usually a radical variant) and is not used for bird sounds.

喿 is extremely rare in modern Chinese and appears mostly in classical poetry or onomatopoeic words like 喿喿 (sound of many birds). It is not part of standard vocabulary, so you mainly encounter it when studying ancient texts or appreciating the imagery of birds chirping in a tree.

Common words containing 喿 include: 喿喿 (zào zào) — sound of birds chirping; 喿鸣 (zào míng) — Chirping (of birds or insects); 喿呼 (zào hū) — to shout out.