How do you say "magpie" in Chinese?

喜鹊

xǐ què

Noun Hanzi

In Chinese, "magpie" is 喜鹊 (xǐ què).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

Sound it out "xǐ què", third tone, then fourth tone, so dipping low then curling back up, like a small scoop; then the next syllable is snapping downward fast.

Writing and usage

喜鹊 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

一只喜鹊抢走了一枚闪亮的硬币。

yī zhī xǐ què qiǎng zǒu le yī méi shǎn liàng de yìng bì 。

A magpie snatched a shiny coin.

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How to remember 喜鹊

Attach "xǐ què" to the moment when a magpie snatched a shiny coin; the pairing is hard to forget.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 喜鹊

How do you pronounce 喜鹊?

Sound it out "xǐ què", third tone, then fourth tone, so dipping low then curling back up, like a small scoop; then the next syllable is snapping downward fast.

Is 喜鹊 formal or casual?

喜鹊 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is 喜鹊 used in Chinese?

喜鹊 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 一只喜鹊抢走了一枚闪亮的硬币。 (A magpie snatched a shiny coin.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Magpie" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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