蚕 meaning and stroke order
Silkworm
How to write 蚕, stroke by stroke
10 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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- 10
Meaning of 蚕
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- silkworm
How 蚕 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Insect.
虫 gives the meaning and 天 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蚕
蚕 (cán) is 天 (tiān, sky) sitting on top of 虫 (chóng, insect). Picture a little insect that spins silk so fine it seems to come from heaven.
蚕 usually appears in words about silk farming, like 蚕丝 (cánsī, silk) and 养蚕 (yǎng cán, to raise silkworms). Example: 蚕吃桑叶。(Cán chī sāngyè.) Silkworms eat mulberry leaves.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top as 夭 (yāo) or 无 instead of 天, so check that the top has two flat horizontal strokes. Also keep the second tone. It is cán, not càn as in 灿 (càn, bright).
Questions about 蚕
How many strokes are in 蚕?
蚕 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蚕 mean?
蚕 (cán) means silkworm.
How do you pronounce 蚕?
蚕 is pronounced cán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 蚕?
The radical of 蚕 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蚕 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 蚕?
The traditional form of 蚕 is 蠶. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 蚕 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do you say silkworm in everyday Chinese?
People often say 蚕 alone or the two-syllable 蚕宝宝 (cán bǎobao), a friendly word used especially with children. The cocoon is 蚕茧 (cánjiǎn).
What does the idiom 蚕食 mean?
蚕食 (cánshí) literally means to eat like a silkworm, nibbling bit by bit. It is used for gradually taking over something, such as land or a market.