鳥 / 鸟
niǎo
The English word 'bird' in Chinese is primarily represented by 鳥 / 鸟 (niǎo). If unsure, use 鳥 / 鸟. Wiktionary also lists 雀 (què).
Meaning: animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鳥 / 鸟 | niǎo | ||
| 雀 | què | /t͡ɕʰy̯ɛ⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /t͡ɕʰi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 鳥 / 鸟 | chiáu / niáu | Hokkien | |
| 鳥仔 / 鸟仔 | chiáu-á | Hokkien |
The term refers to the animal category of birds.
Which one should you use?
While 鳥 / 鸟 refers to birds in general, the form 雀 specifically refers to small birds or sparrows and is used in more formal or literary contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form чёр is the Dungan word for bird, used by the Dungan people in Central Asia. The forms чёр, чёчёзы, финё and фичин are also Dungan.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Hokkien, adding the suffix -仔 (-á) to the word for bird creates the diminutive form 鳥仔 / 鸟仔, which means 'little bird'.
How do you pronounce it?
chiáu / niáu
Did you know?
- While 鳥 means 'bird', in modern mainland Chinese internet slang, it is sometimes used as a euphemism for male anatomy to avoid censorship.
- The Dungan language uses Cyrillic script to write its words, which is why the word for bird appears as чёр despite being a variety of Chinese.
- The character 鳥 is a pictograph that evolved from a drawing of a bird, complete with a beak and a crest.
Examples in context
- 雀竇Bird nestThis example shows how 雀 is used in the phrase for 'bird nest'.
- 那只鸟飞得很高。That bird is flying very high.
- 这种鸟的羽毛非常美丽。The feathers of this bird are very beautiful.
- 看！那边的小鸟飞得好快！Look! The little bird over there is flying so fast!
- 小朋友们非常喜欢喂小鸟。Children love to feed the little birds.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bird” translations and entries 雀, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
