岛
dǎo · HSK 6
island
🏝️ 岛 = 鸟 (bird) on 山 (mountain) — a peak where birds rest at sea
The character shows a bird (鸟, simplified from 鳥) perched atop a mountain (山). An island is essentially a mountain peak rising from the sea — the only dry spot where seabirds can land and roost.
岛 — mountain 山 + bird 鸟 (phonetic)
Originally written 嶹 or 㠀, depicting a bird (鸟) resting on a mountain (山) in the sea. The character is a semantic-phonetic compound: 山 gives the meaning 'mountain/land,' while 鸟 (bird) hints at the sound. It captures the image of an island as a small mountain where seabirds land.