How to Write 鸷 (zhì) — Meaning “bird of prey / fierce”

Think of a fierce bird (鸟) that 'holds' (执) its prey tightly in its claws. The top part 执 looks like a hand grabbing something, so imagine a hawk gripping a mouse—this visual helps connect 鸷 to its meaning of a bird of prey.

Write the top part 执 first: horizontal stroke, then vertical hook, then dot, and finish with the right side. Then add the bottom 鸟: start with the left vertical, then the top horizontal, and the four dots at the bottom. A common mistake is making the top part too wide—keep it narrow so the bird radical below has space.

Unlike 鸷 (bird of prey), 袅 (niǎo) means 'slender and delicate' and is often used in descriptions of smoke or willow branches, not birds. 鸥 (ōu) means 'gull' and refers to a specific seabird. Visually, 袅 has a different top component (鸟 with a swooping tail), while 鸥 uses the radical 区 (qū) on the left instead of 执.

鸷 is a literary character, rarely used in daily conversation, but appears in formal or classical texts to describe fierceness, like in 鸷鸟 (zhì niǎo, bird of prey) or 鸷悍 (zhì hàn, fierce and tough). It can also be used metaphorically for a ruthless person, though this is uncommon in modern speech.

Common words containing 鸷 include: 鸷鸟 (zhì niǎo) — bird of prey; 鸷悍 (zhì hàn) — fierce and tough; 鸷猛 (zhì měng) — fierce and violent.