鵑

The cuckoo (두견새), a bird often associated in East Asian tradition with longing, sorrow, and spring.

It appears most commonly in the compound 杜鵑 (“두견새,” the cuckoo bird).

In poetry and folklore, 鵑 symbolizes homesickness, grief, or melancholy song — themes that appear widely in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese literature.

A phono-semantic compound composed of:

鳥 (새 조) — semantic component meaning “bird.”

肙 (장구벌레 연) — phonetic component providing the sound gyeon / juān.

Thus, 鵑 means “a bird named juān,” i.e., the cuckoo.

The ancient form shows the outline of a bird with accentuated wings and beak, illustrating the vocal and distinctive call of the cuckoo.

杜鵑 (두견, dùjuān) — cuckoo (lit. “wood cuckoo”)

杜鵑花 (두견화) — azalea; literally “cuckoo flower,” named after the bird’s seasonal appearance in spring

子規 (자규) — poetic synonym for the cuckoo

鵑聲 (견성) — the cry of the cuckoo

鵑啼血 (견제혈) — “the cuckoo cries blood,” a classic poetic image symbolizing grief or unfulfilled longing

In Chinese, the word 杜鵑 (dùjuān) also denotes the azalea, believed to bloom when the cuckoo cries, its petals stained with the bird’s blood in legend.

In Chinese mythology, 鵑 is linked to the tragic figure Du Yu (杜宇), the ancient ruler of Shu.

After his death, his soul is said to have transformed into a cuckoo that cried each spring until its throat bled — hence the idiom 啼血杜鵑 (“the blood-weeping cuckoo”), symbolizing eternal sorrow and devotion.

This legend influenced Korean and Japanese poetic traditions as well:

In Korean sijo and hyangga, the 두견새 often represents parting grief or longing for home.

In Japanese waka, hototogisu (the cuckoo) became an emblem of loneliness and unrequited emotion.

「杜鵑啼血，猿聲悲。」 (楚辭·哀郢)

“The cuckoo cries blood; the monkeys wail in sorrow.” (Chu Ci, Ai Ying)

A poetic description of nature echoing human grief.

鵑 embodies both nature’s beauty and tragic lamentation.

It heralds spring’s return yet reminds of transience and emotional pain.

Thus in classical aesthetics, it stands between 悲 (sorrow) and 情 (emotion), a bridge between the natural and the human heart.

Across Chinese, Korean, and Japanese traditions, 鵑 represents a bird of poignant symbolism — the herald of spring and the voice of longing. It became the emblem of grief, yearning, and poetic sentiment.