蛇 meaning and stroke order
Snake; serpent
How to write 蛇, stroke by stroke
11 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 蛇
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- snake
- serpent
- variant of 蛇[she2]
- used in 委蛇[wei1 yi2]
How 蛇 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Worm.
虫 gives the meaning and 它 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蛇
蛇 is pictophonetic. The left part 虫 (chóng, worm or bug) tells you it is a creeping animal, and the right part 它 (tā) gives the sound, so picture a long worm-like creature that hisses "it" as it slides by.
蛇 (shé) is the everyday word for snake, and it appears in many animal names like 毒蛇 (dúshé, viper) and 眼镜蛇 (yǎnjìngshé, cobra). It also shows up in well-known idioms. Example: 别画蛇添足。(Bié huàshé-tiānzú.) Don't add unnecessary extras.
Common mistake: Learners often read 蛇 as tā because of the 它 component, but the sound is shé with a rising second tone. Also don't confuse it with 舌 (shé, tongue), which has the same pronunciation but a different shape.
Common words with 蛇
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 画蛇添足 | huàshé-tiānzú | lit. draw legs on a snake (idiom); fig. to ruin the effect by adding sth superfluous; to o | HSK 7-9 |
| 毒蛇 | dúshé | viper | |
| 眼镜蛇 | yǎnjìngshé | cobra | |
| 蟒蛇 | mǎngshé | python; boa | |
| 响尾蛇 | xiǎngwěishé | rattlesnake | |
| 打草惊蛇 | dǎcǎojīngshé | lit. beat the grass to scare the snake (idiom); fig. to inadvertently alert an enemy | |
| 蛇头 | shétóu | head of a snake; human smuggler |
蛇 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 蛇
How many strokes are in 蛇?
蛇 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蛇 mean?
蛇 (shé) means snake; serpent. A common word with it is 画蛇添足 (huàshé-tiānzú), meaning "lit. draw legs on a snake (idiom); fig. to ruin the effect by adding sth superfluous; to o".
How do you pronounce 蛇?
蛇 is pronounced shé, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 蛇?
The radical of 蛇 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蛇 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 蛇?
The traditional form of 蛇 is 虵. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 蛇 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 蛇 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 蛇 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 蛇 ever pronounced yí?
Yes, but only in the literary word 委蛇 (wēiyí), which describes winding or acting perfunctorily. In almost every other case it is shé.
What does 蛇头 mean besides a snake's head?
蛇头 (shétóu) is also slang for a human smuggler who moves people illegally across borders. Context makes it clear which meaning is intended.