How to Write 啁 (zhāo/zhōu) — Meaning “to chirp / to twitter”

Imagine a bird sitting on a branch, opening its mouth (口) to chirp, and the chirping sound goes all around (周) the area. You can also remember that 周 looks like a bird with wings, and the mouth adds the sound, so 啁 means 'bird sound everywhere'.

Write the left radical 口 first with 3 strokes: vertical, horizontal turn, then the bottom horizontal. Then write the right part 周, which has 8 strokes: start with the left vertical, then the top horizontal, inside components, and finally the bottom horizontal. The overall width should be balanced—口 takes about one-third and 周 takes two-thirds of the character width.

啁 is rarely used alone; it mostly appears in the reduplicated form 啁啾 (zhōu jiū), which describes the pleasant chirping of birds. This word is often found in poetry and nature descriptions, evoking a peaceful rural scene. It is not part of common daily vocabulary, so learners mostly encounter it in classical literature or nature-focused writing.

Common words containing 啁 include: 啁啾 (zhōu jiū) — chirping / twittering (of birds); 啁 (zhāo) — to chirp / to twitter.