鸭

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duck (CL:隻|只[zhi1]); (slang) male prostitute

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HSK 3.0: Level 5
Old HSK: Level 4
Strokes: 10
Radical: 鳥 +5
Structure: Left–right 左右
Traditional: 鴨
Common rank: #1,076
Unicode: U+9E2D

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

How 鸭 is formed

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

鸟 meaning “bird” + 甲 sound ( jiǎ )

Components 甲鸟

How to remember it

duck · Heisig RSH #1441

甲 first + 鸟 bird

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

Words with 鸭

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
双鸭山市	Shuāng yā shān Shì	Shuangyashan, prefecture-level city in Heilongjiang Province 黑龍江省\|黑龙江省[Hei1 long2 jiang1 S…
鸭子儿	yā zǐ r	(coll.) duck's egg
白头硬尾鸭	bái tóu yìng wěi yā	(bird species of China) white-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala)
脚鸭子	jiǎo yā zi	variant of 腳丫子\|脚丫子[jiao3 ya1 zi5]
中华秋沙鸭	Zhōng huá qiū shā yā	(bird species of China) scaly-sided merganser (Mergus squamatus)
长尾鸭	cháng wěi yā	(bird species of China) long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis)
双鸭山	Shuāng yā shān	see 雙鴨山市\|双鸭山市[Shuang1 ya1 shan1 Shi4]
鸭嘴龙	yā zuǐ lóng	hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur)
普通秋沙鸭	pǔ tōng qiū shā yā	(bird species of China) common merganser (Mergus merganser)
云石斑鸭	yún shí bān yā	(bird species of China) marbled teal; marbled duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris)
白秋沙鸭	bái qiū shā yā	(bird species of China) smew (Mergellus albellus)
绿头鸭	lǜ tóu yā	(bird species of China) mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
春江水暖鸭先知	chūn jiāng shuǐ nuǎn yā xiān zhī	lit. the duck is the first to know if the spring water is warm (idiom); fig. an expert in …
红胸秋沙鸭	hóng xiōng qiū shā yā	(bird species of China) red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator)
家鸭绿头鸭	jiā yā lǜ tóu yā	mallard; duck (Anas platyrhyncha)
花脸鸭	huā liǎn yā	(bird species of China) Baikal teal (Sibirionetta formosa)
鸭子	yā zi	duck (CL:隻\|只[zhi1]); (slang) male prostitute
鸭绿江	Yā lù Jiāng	Yalu River, forming part of the China-Korea border
家鸭	jiā yā	domestic duck
红头潜鸭	hóng tóu qián yā	(bird species of China) common pochard (Aythya ferina)

Sound family

Characters sharing the sound component 甲 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
甲 sound part	jiǎ	armor, shell; fingernails; 1st heavenly stem
押	yā	to arrest, to detain; to deposit, to pledge; mortgage
闸	zhá	sluice, floodgate, canal lock
钾	jiǎ	potassium
匣	xiá	case, coffer, small box
岬	jiǎ	cape; promontory, headland
狎	xiá	to be familiar with; to disrespect
呷	xiā	to swallow, to suck, to drink
胛	jiǎ	shoulder; shoulder blade
柙	xiá	a cage or pen for wild animals