唯
wéi · HSK 7
only
🐦 口 mouth + 隹 short-tailed bird; 隹 (zhuī) carries the sound, near wéi
唯 pairs the mouth radical 口 with the bird 隹, which acts as the phonetic. The mouth hints at an original spoken use (a respectful yes); today it narrows meaning to only or alone.
唯 — mouth 口 + short-tailed bird 隹
A semantic-phonetic compound: 口 (mouth) gives the meaning related to speech or response, while 隹 (short-tailed bird) supplies the sound. Originally meant 'to answer' or an affirmative reply, later extended to 'only' or 'alone'.