虾 meaning and stroke order
Shrimp; prawn
How to write 虾, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 虾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- shrimp
- prawn
- used in 蝦蟆|虾蟆[ha2 ma5]
How 虾 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Insect.
虫 gives the meaning and 下 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 虾
虾 is made of 虫 (insect, small creature) on the left and 下 (xià) on the right. Picture a little creature 虫 swimming down 下 at the bottom of the sea, and 下 also hints at the sound xiā.
虾 (xiā) is the everyday word for shrimp or prawn, and it appears on almost every Chinese menu. It also forms words like 龙虾 (lóngxiā, lobster) and 虾米 (xiāmǐ, dried shrimp). Example: 我想吃虾饺。(Wǒ xiǎng chī xiājiǎo.) I want to eat shrimp dumplings.
Common mistake: Learners often read 虾 as xià because of the phonetic part 下 (xià), but the shrimp word is first tone xiā. Also do not confuse it with 蛇 (shé, snake), another 虫 character.
Common words with 虾
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 龙虾 | lóngxiā | lobster | |
| 虾米 | xiāmǐ | small shrimp; dried, shelled shrimps; (Tw) (coll.) what (from Taiwanese 啥物, Tai-lo pr. [si | |
| 磷虾 | línxiā | krill | |
| 大虾 | dàxiā | prawn; (Internet slang) expert |
虾 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 虾
How many strokes are in 虾?
虾 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 虾 mean?
虾 (xiā) means shrimp; prawn. A common word with it is 龙虾 (lóngxiā), meaning "lobster".
How do you pronounce 虾?
虾 is pronounced xiā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 虾?
The radical of 虾 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 虾 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 虾?
The traditional form of 虾 is 蝦. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 虾 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 虾 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 虾 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does 虾 have another pronunciation?
Yes. In the word 虾蟆 (háma), an old word for toad or frog, it is read há. In all shrimp words it is xiā.
What does 大虾 mean online?
Literally 大虾 (dàxiā) means a big prawn. In internet slang it means an expert or skilled person, because it sounds like 大侠 (dàxiá), a great hero.