鹤 (hè) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

鹤

hè[he4]Tone 4

crane

HSK 7

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鶴

Guru Deep Dive

English · crane

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:15

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (隺 phonetic clue, 10 strokes) and right side (鸟 bird radical, 5 strokes) are tightly balanced with an upright posture, matching the IDS ⿰隺鸟.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 鶴 features the phonetic component 隺 (hè) on the left and the bird radical 鳥 on the right; in simplified 鹤, the right side is simplified to 鸟 while the left 隺 remains unchanged.

1. Meaning

crane (the majestic wading bird)

longevity or elegance (symbolized by the bird in Chinese culture)

NounNeutral#animals#nature#traditional symbolism

Sample Usage

仙鹤
xiān hè
immortal crane (mythological crane)
鹤发童颜
hè fà tóng yán
white hair and youthful face (sign of a healthy, long-lived elder)

2. Sound

/[xɤ⁵¹]/Tone: 51

鹤

hèhe4

`(51)

=hè

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "e" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Velar Fricative

Sounds like: h sound like in 'hat'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Gentle throat friction (like fogging glasses on a cold day).

Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue approaches the soft palate, creating a gentle friction of air without stopping it.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with the 'uh' sound in 'hut'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'uh'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 is a sharp drop in pitch, comparable to shouting 'No!' or giving a sudden, firm command in English.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse with rising tone (hé) or flat tone (hē); Tone 4 must drop decisively from high to low pitch.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 4 starts high and plunges sharply downward, like nodding your head firmly in agreement or chopping your hand straight down.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 15 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (隺 phonetic clue, 10 strokes) and right side (鸟 bird radical, 5 strokes) are tightly balanced with an upright posture, matching the IDS ⿰隺鸟.

4. Components

Radical 鸟 · Bird Radical (bird)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 鸟 (Indicates that the character relates to a wading bird (crane))

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 隺 (original sound: hè)

Structured left-to-right (⿰隺鸟): on the left, 隺 (hè, bird soaring high) provides the pronunciation; on the right, the bird radical 鸟 (niǎo) establishes the avian category, forming the majestic crane.

隺 Left-side phonetic component (hè, bird soaring high)
鸟 Right-side semantic radical (bird)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

6· Phonetic Root: 隺 (hè)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally a phono-semantic compound combining the bird (鸟) classifier with a phonetic element (隹) representing a species of long-legged wading bird prized for its elegance.

Semantic Evolution: From ancient times representing the physical crane bird, it expanded metaphorically to symbolize longevity, wisdom, and Daoist immortality.

In Chinese mythology, cranes are often depicted as the mounts of immortals (仙人).

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: カク / Kun: つる

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

학

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a magnificent **crane** standing gracefully in a marsh. On the left is its body shaped like a **bird (鸟)**, and on the right, its sharp beak and tucked-in wings resemble a **short-tailed bird (隹)** resting proudly.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

隺

hèbird flying high (phonetic clue for 鹤 hè, 榷 què, 傕 jué)Phonetic Core (声旁)

傕

juésurname Jue; used in old names+ 亻 (person)

榷

quèfootbridge; toll, levy+ 木 (tree)

確

+ 石 (stone)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

鸡(jī)

Chicken (鸡) uses 又 on the right, whereas crane (鹤) uses the complex short-tailed bird component (隹).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

松 [___] 延年，是中国传统文化中吉祥的象征。

Clue: hè

Common Learner Pitfall

Mistaking the high stroke-count right component (隹) for simpler components like 木 or 日 during handwriting practice.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 鹤, what animal does it represent and what is its Pinyin?

Production: How do you write the character for 'crane' (hè) using a bird radical and a short-tailed bird component?

鹤hècrane

Speed:

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