crane

Components
隺 sound component

  Sound component

què

  

(crane), very high

鸟 meaning component

  Meaning component

niǎodiǎo

  

bird

bird

Evolution

鹤 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
鹤 Traditional script Modern

Traditional script

Modern
鹤 Simplified script Modern

Simplified script

Modern
Definitions

() 

crane; Grus species (various)

Most common words with 鹤
Freq.
Word
Meaning

crane

鹤立鸡群

manifestly superior

白鹤

(bird species of China) Siberian crane (Grus leucogeranus)

黄鹤楼

favored place of poet sages, who in legend arrived riding golden cranes

仙鹤

red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis)