雀 (què) is a Chinese character meaning “sparrow”. It is written from 小 (small) and 隹 (short-tailed bird), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “sparrow”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
小 + 隹
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 雀，依人小鳥也。从小隹；现代字形拆分对照笔顺数据核验：小 3 画 + 隹 8 画 = 11 画（隹的首笔长撇贯穿上部）
Memory aid
Small (小) on top of a short-tailed bird (隹): a little bird like a sparrow. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 麻雀má quèsparrow; mahjong雀 = què
- 孔雀kǒng quèpeacock雀 = què
Go deeper
All readings
sparrow; small bird
sparrow; small bird
鸟名，通常指麻雀一类的小鸟。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 麻雀má quèsparrow; mahjong雀 = què
- 孔雀kǒng quèpeacock雀 = què
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 雀 mean?
雀 (què) means sparrow; small bird.
How do you pronounce 雀?
It is pronounced què.
What parts is 雀 made of?
小 (small) and 隹 (short-tailed bird), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 雀，依人小鳥也。从小隹；现代字形拆分对照笔顺数据核验：小 3 画 + 隹 8 画 = 11 画（隹的首笔长撇贯穿上部）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 雀 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 雀?
隹. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 雀?
Common ones are 麻雀 and 孔雀. The reading of 雀 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.