蛭 meaning and stroke order
Leech
How to write 蛭, stroke by stroke
12 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 蛭
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- fluke
- leech
- hirudinea
How 蛭 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Worm.
虫 gives the meaning and 至 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蛭
蛭 combines 虫 (worm, bug) on the left with 至 (zhì, to arrive) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture a worm that arrives on your leg and stays there: a leech.
蛭 rarely appears alone in everyday speech. It usually shows up in the word 水蛭 (shuǐzhì), the common term for a leech, and in biology terms. Example: 河里有水蛭。(Hé lǐ yǒu shuǐzhì.) There are leeches in the river.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the right side as 致 or 到, because both look related to 至. The right side of 蛭 is only 至, with no extra parts. Also keep the fourth tone, zhì, the same as 至.
Common words with 蛭
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 水蛭 | shuǐzhì | leech |
Questions about 蛭
How many strokes are in 蛭?
蛭 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蛭 mean?
蛭 (zhì) means leech. A common word with it is 水蛭 (shuǐzhì), meaning "leech".
How do you pronounce 蛭?
蛭 is pronounced zhì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 蛭?
The radical of 蛭 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蛭 under this radical.
Is there a casual word for leech besides 水蛭?
Yes. In many regions people call a leech 蚂蟥 (mǎhuáng), which is very common in spoken Chinese. 水蛭 is the more standard or scientific-sounding word.
Can 蛭 be used to describe a person who takes advantage of others?
Not usually. Unlike English "leech," 水蛭 is not a common insult for a freeloader. Chinese more often uses words like 吸血鬼 (xīxuèguǐ, bloodsucker) for that meaning.