雀 is a bound morpheme. Common compounds: 麻雀 (máquè, sparrow), 孔雀 (kǒngquè, peacock), 雀跃 (quèyuè, to jump for joy), 雀斑 (quèbān, freckles). Also read as qiāo in 雀斑 by some speakers.
culture
麻雀 (máquè, sparrow) is also the Chinese name for mahjong (麻将), because the tiles' clicking sound resembles sparrows chattering. The game's full name was originally 麻雀牌.
