蛎 meaning and stroke order
Oyster
How to write 蛎, 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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- 11
Meaning of 蛎
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- oyster
How 蛎 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mollusk.
虫 gives the meaning and 厉 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蛎
蛎 is a pictophonetic character. The 虫 (chóng) on the left marks it as a small creature, here a mollusk, and 厉 (lì) on the right gives the sound lì.
蛎 almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. It is used in the word 牡蛎 (mǔlì), the standard word for oyster on menus and in writing. Example: 我喜欢吃烤牡蛎。(Wǒ xǐhuan chī kǎo mǔlì.) I like eating grilled oysters.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the right side as 历 (lì) instead of 厉, since both sound the same. In 蛎 the part under 厂 is 万, not 力.
Common words with 蛎
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 牡蛎 | mǔlì | oyster |
蛎 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 蛎
How many strokes are in 蛎?
蛎 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 蛎 mean?
蛎 (lì) means oyster. A common word with it is 牡蛎 (mǔlì), meaning "oyster".
How do you pronounce 蛎?
蛎 is pronounced lì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 蛎?
The radical of 蛎 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蛎 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 蛎?
The traditional form of 蛎 is 蠣. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 蛎 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 牡蛎 and 生蚝?
Both mean oyster. 牡蛎 (mǔlì) is the standard and more formal word. 生蚝 (shēngháo) is very common in everyday speech, especially in southern China and on restaurant menus.
Can I say just 蛎 to mean oyster?
Usually not. In modern Mandarin you should say 牡蛎 or 生蚝. 蛎 alone mostly shows up in a few fixed or regional names.