The kanji character 啄 generally means "to peck" or "to tap" with a beak, like a bird. It also implies a light, repeated action, often involving a pointed object or a beak.

・On-yomi (音読み): タク (taku) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ついばむ (tsuibamu)

⚫︎ 鳥が木を啄く Translation: The bird pecks at the tree. ⚫︎ 啄木鳥 (きつつき) Translation: woodpecker. ⚫︎ 窓を啄く雨 Translation: The rain tapping on the window.

The kanji 啄 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). It combines the phonetic component 彖 (taku), which contributes the sound, with the radical 口 (kuchi), meaning "mouth." The mouth relates to the action, the beak. The original meaning relates to a bird's beak and pecking action.