蜊 meaning and stroke order
Clam
How to write 蜊, stroke by stroke
13 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 蜊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- clam
How 蜊 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mollusk.
虫 gives the meaning and 利 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蜊
蜊 (lí) is a creature word, so it has the 虫 (chóng) side for small animals and shellfish. The right side 利 (lì) gives the sound, so think of a little sea creature that sounds like 利.
蜊 almost never appears alone. You will see it in the word 蛤蜊 (gélí), the everyday word for clam, especially on menus and at seafood markets. Example: 我想吃炒蛤蜊。(Wǒ xiǎng chī chǎo gélí.) I want to eat stir-fried clams.
Common mistake: Learners often read 蜊 with the fourth tone because of 利 (lì), but 蜊 is second tone, lí. In 蛤蜊 the first character is gé, not há as in 蛤蟆 (hámá, toad).
Common words with 蜊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蛤蜊 | gélí | clam |
Questions about 蜊
How many strokes are in 蜊?
蜊 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蜊 mean?
蜊 (lí) means clam. A common word with it is 蛤蜊 (gélí), meaning "clam".
How do you pronounce 蜊?
蜊 is pronounced lí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 蜊?
The radical of 蜊 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蜊 under this radical.
Can I say 蜊 by itself to mean clam?
Not usually. In modern Mandarin people say 蛤蜊 (gélí) for clam. Using 蜊 alone sounds incomplete.
Why does a clam character use the insect radical 虫?
In Chinese writing, 虫 marks many small creatures, not only insects. Shellfish and other mollusks often carry it, such as 蚌 (bàng, mussel).