鸟 niǎo — bird · English

鸟

niǎo

bird

At a glance · 鸟

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

鸟字甲骨文象禽鸟侧立之形，有头、身、尾、足；金文、小篆承之，繁体作『鳥』。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

鸟本义为飞禽、鸟类。

Structure

鸟为象形字，描摹鸟之全形。

At a glance

Pinyinniǎo

Radical鸟

Strokes5

UnicodeU+9E1F

Character type象形

Theme动物

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English bird Niao is a pictograph of a bird.

Français oiseau Niao est un pictogramme d'un oiseau.

Español ave Niao es un pictograma de un ave.

العربية طائر نيو رسم تخطيطي لطائر.

Русский птица Няо — пиктограмма птицы.

Common words

小鸟xiǎo niǎobird
鸟类niǎo lèibirds

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