鸥 meaning and stroke order
Seagull, tern; Larus species (various)
How to write 鸥, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 鸥
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- common gull
How 鸥 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Bird.
鸟 gives the meaning and 区 hints at the sound.
Radical: 鸟 (bird), shared by 72 characters on this site.
How to remember 鸥
鸥 (ōu) is a bird 鸟 (niǎo) on the right with 区 (qū) on the left giving the sound. Picture a seagull circling over its own small area 区 of the beach.
鸥 almost never appears alone in everyday speech. People say 海鸥 (hǎi'ōu) for a seagull. Example: 海边有很多海鸥。(Hǎibiān yǒu hěn duō hǎi'ōu.) There are many seagulls at the seaside.
Common mistake: Learners often read 鸥 as qū because of 区, but the correct reading is ōu, first tone. Also do not confuse it with 鸭 (yā, duck), which has 甲 on the left instead of 区.
Common words with 鸥
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 海鸥 | hǎi'ōu | gull; seagull |
鸥 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 鸥
How many strokes are in 鸥?
鸥 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鸥 mean?
鸥 (ōu) means seagull, tern; Larus species (various). A common word with it is 海鸥 (hǎi'ōu), meaning "gull; seagull".
How do you pronounce 鸥?
鸥 is pronounced ōu, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 鸥?
The radical of 鸥 is 鸟, which carries the idea of "bird". Dictionaries list 鸥 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 鸥?
The traditional form of 鸥 is 鷗. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 鸥 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why is 鸥 pronounced ōu if 区 is read qū?
区 also has an old reading ōu, used as a surname. That reading is the sound hint here. You can see the same sound in 欧 (ōu) and 殴 (ōu).
Is 海鸥 used in any famous names or phrases?
Yes. 海鸥 is a well known brand of Chinese watches and cameras. The bird also appears in poetry as a symbol of freedom by the sea.