insect

Origin & mnemonic

This radical derives from a pictographic depiction of an insect in oracle-bone script and seal script. The three legs below and segmented body structure represent the anatomical features of an insect.

Mnemonic: Remember the three strokes below as the three pairs of insect legs, with the upper body forming the head and abdomen.

• 蛾é🔊

  (bound form) moth

  13 strokes

• 蛹yǒng🔊

  chrysalis

  13 strokes

• 蜇zhē🔊

  to sting

  13 strokes

• 䖸é🔊

  variant of 蛾[e2]

  13 strokes

• 蛸shāo🔊

  octopus

  13 strokes

• 蜕tuì🔊

  skin cast off during molting

  13 strokes

• 蜀Shǔ🔊

  short name for Sichuan 四川[Si4 chuan1] province

  13 strokes

• 蜃shèn🔊

  giant clam

  13 strokes

• 蜅fǔ🔊

  crab

  13 strokes

• 蜈wú🔊

  used in 蜈蚣[wu2 gong1]

  13 strokes

• 蜉fú🔊

  used in 蚍蜉[pi2 fu2]

  13 strokes

• 蜊lí🔊

  clam

  13 strokes

• 蜍chú🔊

  Bufo vulgaris

  13 strokes

• 蜎yuān🔊

  larva of mosquito

  13 strokes

• 蜐jié🔊

  see 石蜐[shi2 jie2]

  13 strokes

• 蜗wō🔊

  snail

  13 strokes

• 蜣qiāng🔊

  dung beetle

  13 strokes

• 蝍jí🔊

  a centipede

  13 strokes

• 蜡là🔊

  candle

  HSK 7

  14 strokes

• 蜜mì🔊

  honey

  HSK 7

  14 strokes

• 蝉chán🔊

  cicada

  14 strokes

• 䗈méng🔊

  old variant of 虻[meng2]

  14 strokes

• 蜘zhī🔊

  used in 蜘蛛[zhi1 zhu1]

  14 strokes

• 蜙sōng🔊

  used in 蜙蝑[song1 xu1]

  14 strokes

• 蜚fěi🔊

  gad-fly

  14 strokes

• 蜛jū🔊

  Hydrophilus cognatus

  14 strokes

• 蜞qí🔊

  used in 蟛蜞[peng2 qi2]

  14 strokes

• 蜢měng🔊

  grasshopper

  14 strokes

• 蜥xī🔊

  (bound form) lizard

  14 strokes

• 蜩tiáo🔊

  cicada

  14 strokes

• 蜮yù🔊

  (Chinese mythology) creature that lives underwater and spits sand to make people ill

  14 strokes

• 蜯bàng🔊

  variant of 蚌[bang4]

  14 strokes

• 蜱pí🔊

  tick (zoology)

  14 strokes

• 蜴yì🔊

  used in 蜥蜴[xi1 yi4]

  14 strokes

• 蜷quán🔊

  to curl up (like a scroll)

  14 strokes

• 蜻qīng🔊

  see 蜻蜓[qing1 ting2]

  14 strokes

• 蜾guǒ🔊

  used in 蜾蠃[guo3 luo3]

  14 strokes

• 蜿wān🔊

  used in 蜿蜒[wan1 yan2]

  14 strokes

• 蝃dì🔊

  variant of 螮|䗖[di4]

  14 strokes

• 蝄wǎng🔊

  used in 蝄蜽[wang3 liang3]

  14 strokes

• 蝇yíng🔊

  fly

  14 strokes

• 蝈guō🔊

  small green cicada or frog (meaning unclear, possibly onom.)

  14 strokes

• 螂láng🔊

  variant of 螂[lang2]

  14 strokes

• 蝴hú🔊

  used in 蝴蝶[hu2 die2]

  15 strokes

• 蝗huáng🔊

  locust

  15 strokes

• 蝶dié🔊

  variant of 蝶[die2]

  15 strokes

• 䗖dì🔊

  used in 螮蝀|䗖𬟽[di4 dong1]

  15 strokes

• 蝌kē🔊

  used in 蝌蚪[ke1 dou3]

  15 strokes