觜
beak, bill
Strokes13
Readings
On'yomi
- シ
- スイ
Kun'yomi
- くちばし
- はし
Meaning
觜 centers on the hard, pointed mouthpart of a bird: a beak or bill.
Most common words using 觜
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Etymology
觜 combines 此 (a phonetic element) with 角 (horn), originally referring to a horn-like beak. The modern form preserves this structure.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 此 looks like a bird's head with a pointed beak, and the bottom 角 (horn) reinforces the hard, horn-like beak shape.
Reading mnemonic
For シ, imagine a bird using its beak to sip water: sip -> シ, and the beak is the tool for sipping.