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.

• 蚀shí🔊

  to nibble away at sth

  14 strokes

• 螂láng🔊

  variant of 螂[lang2]

  14 strokes

• 虾xiā🔊

  shrimp

  HSK 7

  15 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

• 蝎xiē🔊

  variant of 蠍|蝎[xie1]

  15 strokes

• 蝏tíng🔊

  used in 蜻蝏[qing1 ting2]

  15 strokes

• 蝐mào🔊

  see 蝳蝐[dai4 mao4]

  15 strokes

• 蝑xū🔊

  used in 蜙蝑[song1 xu1]

  15 strokes

• 蝒mián🔊

  large, black cicada

  15 strokes

• 蝓yú🔊

  used in 蛞蝓[kuo4 yu2]

  15 strokes

• 蝘yǎn🔊

  Hemidactylus bowringii

  15 strokes

• 蝙biān🔊

  used in 蝙蝠[bian1 fu2]

  15 strokes

• 蝛wēi🔊

  see 蛜蝛[yi1 wei1]

  15 strokes

• 蝝yuán🔊

  locust larva without wings

  15 strokes

• 猬wèi🔊

  (bound form) hedgehog

  15 strokes

• 蝠fú🔊

  (bound form) bat

  15 strokes

• 蝣yóu🔊

  used in 蜉蝣[fu2 you2]

  15 strokes

• 蝤qiú🔊

  used in 蝤蠐|蝤蛴[qiu2 qi2]

  15 strokes

• 蝥máo🔊

  variant of 蟊[mao2]

  15 strokes

• 蝮fù🔊

  insect

  15 strokes

• 蝰kuí🔊

  used in 蝰蛇[kui2 she2]

  15 strokes

• 蝲là🔊

  used in 蝲蛄[la4 gu3]

  15 strokes

• 蝳dài🔊

  see 蝳蝐[dai4 mao4]

  15 strokes

• 蝻nǎn🔊

  locust nymph

  15 strokes

• 蝼lóu🔊

  see 螻蛄|蝼蛄[lou2 gu1]

  15 strokes

• 蝽chūn🔊

  bedbug

  15 strokes

• 蝾róng🔊

  salamander

  15 strokes

• 螀jiāng🔊

  cicada (Cosmopsaltria opalifera)

  15 strokes

• 螋sōu🔊

  used in 蠼螋[qu2 sou1]

  15 strokes

• 螟míng🔊

  boring insect

  16 strokes

• 螒hàn🔊

  Aulacophora femoralis

  16 strokes

• 螠yì🔊

  echiuroid (spoon worm)

  16 strokes

• 螣téng🔊

  flying dragon

  16 strokes

• 螃páng🔊

  used in 螃蟹[pang2 xie4]

  16 strokes

• 螅xī🔊

  used in 水螅[shui3 xi1]

  16 strokes

• 螈yuán🔊

  salamander

  16 strokes

• 螉wēng🔊

  see 蠮螉[ye1 weng1]

  16 strokes

• 螓qín🔊

  small cicada with a square head

  16 strokes

• 螗táng🔊

  variety of small cicada with a green back and a clear song (in ancient books)

  16 strokes

• 螙dù🔊

  variant of 蠹[du4]

  16 strokes

• 螚nài🔊

  Eristalis tenax

  16 strokes

• 蚂mǎ🔊

  used in 螞蟥|蚂蟥[ma3 huang2]

  16 strokes

• 萤yíng🔊

  firefly

  16 strokes

• 螨mǎn🔊

  mite

  16 strokes