啄 meaning and stroke order
To peck
How to write 啄, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 啄
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to peck
How 啄 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 豖 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 啄
The mouth 口 on the left tells you this is something done with the mouth or beak, and 豖 on the right gives the sound zhuó. Picture a bird's beak 口 tapping again and again to peck.
啄 (zhuó) describes a bird pecking with its beak, and it appears most often in the word 啄木鸟 (zhuómùniǎo, woodpecker). Example: 小鸡在地上啄米。(Xiǎojī zài dì shang zhuó mǐ.) The chick is pecking at rice on the ground.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse the right side 豖 with 豕 (shǐ, pig) or 家 and leave out the extra dot. Also watch the reading: it is zhuó with a second tone, not zhuō or zhú.
Common words with 啄
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 啄木鸟 | zhuómùniǎo | woodpecker |
啄 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 啄
How many strokes are in 啄?
啄 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 啄 mean?
啄 (zhuó) means to peck. A common word with it is 啄木鸟 (zhuómùniǎo), meaning "woodpecker".
How do you pronounce 啄?
啄 is pronounced zhuó, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 啄?
The radical of 啄 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 啄 under this radical.
Can 啄 be used for people, not just birds?
Mostly it is used for birds and their beaks. With people it is rare and usually figurative, such as describing a quick little kiss as like a peck.
What is the difference between 啄 and 叼 (diāo)?
啄 (zhuó) means to strike or pick at something with the beak. 叼 (diāo) means to hold something in the mouth, like a dog carrying a bone or a bird holding a twig.