隼 (sǔn): falcon

Measure Word

一只隼 zhī

Meanings

1 falcon
2 peregrine falcon

Characters

隼

sǔn

falcon (single-character word)

Examples

隼是速度最快的鸟类之一。

Sǔn shì sùdù zuì kuài de niǎolèi zhīyī.

The falcon is one of the fastest birds.

猎人训练隼来帮助狩猎。

Lièrén xùnliàn sǔn lái bāngzhù shòuliè.

Hunters train falcons to help with hunting.

我们在草原上看到了一只隼。

Wǒmen zài cǎoyuán shàng kàndào le yī zhī sǔn.

We spotted a falcon on the grassland.

Tips

memory

The character 隼 shows a bird (隹). 隹 is a common radical meaning short-tailed bird, found in many bird-related characters. The upper part resembles a beak pointed downward, evoking a falcon's dive.

Components

radical

隹 zhuī

short-tailed bird

隹 depicts a short-tailed bird in profile, the indexing radical. It places 隼 firmly in the bird family alongside 雀 sparrow, 雁 wild goose, 雄 male, and 雌 female - all 隹-headed avian characters used for falcons, sparrows, and broader feathered creatures.

ideograph

十 shí

ten; cross-shape

Below the bird sits a cross-shape, depicting the perch or hunting stand on which the falcon rests between flights. Not the number ten in this context - purely a graphic indicator of the falconer's wooden post.