“Gray bird” in Chinese: how to say it and how to write it
Gray bird
“Gray bird” in Chinese is 灰色的小鸟, huīsè de xiǎo niǎo. Word for word: “gray-colored little bird”. It is a handy phrase to take apart: in five characters you get a color, the little word 的 that links a description to a noun, and the way Chinese makes “little bird” out of “little” and “bird”.
How to write “gray bird” in Chinese
- 灰色huīsègray (the color)
- 的departicle linking a description to a noun
- 小xiǎolittle, small
- 鸟niǎobird
灰色 is plus 色 “color”: gray in Chinese is “the color of ash”. 的 sits between the description and the thing it describes: first “gray”, then 的, then what is gray. 小鸟 is “little bird”, a birdie or a chick; the character 鸟 itself started as a picture, and you can still make out the head, the wing and the tail. You can practice writing it in the writing worksheets.
How to pronounce 灰色的小鸟
- 灰色的小鸟huīsèdexiǎoniǎogray bird, little gray bird
The tones go like this: huī is first tone, high and level; sè is fourth, the voice drops sharply; de is neutral, short and light, with no tone of its own. Then come two third tones in a row, xiǎo niǎo — in speech the first one rises, so you hear xiáo niǎo. Listen to the syllables one by one: . How tones work is explained in “Chinese tones”.
Why hui sounds like “hway”
English speakers tend to read hui as “hoo-ee”. But pinyin spells this syllable in short: in full it is h + uei, so you hear a clear “ay” at the end — close to “hway”. The same goes for the province Anhui, “an-hway”. And the pinyin h is breathier than the English one, closer to the “ch” in Scottish “loch”, only softer. Play the recording above and copy it.
For a Chinese speaker there is nothing special about 灰色: it is just the name of a color. The other colors are in the article “Colors in Chinese”.
Gray bird, blue bird: the short way to say it
- 灰鸟huīniǎogray birdshort, without 色 and 的
- 蓝色的鸟lánsèdeniǎoblue bird
- 一只灰色的小鸟yìzhīhuīsèdexiǎoniǎoa little gray bird
One-syllable colors can go straight in front of the noun, without 的: 灰鸟 “gray bird”, 蓝鸟 “blue bird”, 白鸟 “white bird”. That is shorter and a little more bookish, like a name. The full form with 色 and 的 is the everyday one: 蓝色的鸟, 红色的鸟.
When you count birds, you need a measure word between the number and the noun: . 一只小鸟 is “one little bird”, 两只鸟 “two birds”. Other animals and birds are in the article “Animals in Chinese”, and another gray animal is on the page “Big bad wolf” in Chinese.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “gray bird” in Chinese?
“Gray bird” in Chinese is 灰色的小鸟, in pinyin huīsè de xiǎo niǎo.
How do you pronounce 灰色的小鸟?
灰色的小鸟 is read huīsè de xiǎo niǎo. The marks over the vowels are the tones: each syllable has its own melody, so listen to the recording on this page and repeat it.
How do you write “gray bird” in Chinese characters?
灰色的小鸟 is 5 characters. What each one means and how the phrase is put together is explained on this page.
What does 灰色的小鸟 mean?
灰色的小鸟 (huīsè de xiǎo niǎo) means “gray bird”.
Tones are easier than they look
The first lesson walks you through the four tones and your first words: you listen to a native speaker and say them yourself. Free during the beta.
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