隼 (sǔn) · falcon, peregrine falcon

Measure Word

一只隼 zhī

Meanings

1 falcon
2 peregrine falcon

Characters

隼

sǔn

falcon (single-character word)

Examples

HSK 5

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.

HSK 6

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.

HSK 7-9

猎人训练隼来帮助狩猎。

Lièrén xùnliàn sǔn lái bāngzhù shòuliè.

Hunters train falcons to help with hunting.

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.