蜷 meaning and stroke order
To curl one's body; to wriggle like a worm
How to write 蜷, stroke by stroke
14 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 蜷
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to curl up (like a scroll)
- to huddle
- Melania libertina
- wriggle (as a worm)
How 蜷 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To curl up 卷 like a worm 虫; 卷 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蜷
On the left is 虫 (chóng, insect or worm), and on the right is 卷 (juǎn, to roll up). Picture a worm 虫 rolling itself up 卷 into a little coil, and you have 蜷 (quán), to curl up.
蜷 is rarely used alone in everyday speech. It mostly appears in 蜷缩 (quánsuō) and in phrases like 蜷着身子 (quán zhe shēnzi, curled up). Example: 小猫蜷在沙发上睡觉。 (Xiǎo māo quán zài shāfā shang shuìjiào.) The kitten is sleeping curled up on the sofa.
Common mistake: Learners often read 蜷 as juǎn because of 卷, but the correct reading is quán with a second tone, the same sound as 拳 (quán, fist). Also do not confuse it with 倦 (juàn, tired), which has the person radical 亻 instead of 虫.
Common words with 蜷
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蜷缩 | quánsuō | to curl up; to huddle |
Questions about 蜷
How many strokes are in 蜷?
蜷 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蜷 mean?
蜷 (quán) means to curl one's body; to wriggle like a worm. A common word with it is 蜷缩 (quánsuō), meaning "to curl up; to huddle".
How do you pronounce 蜷?
蜷 is pronounced quán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 蜷?
The radical of 蜷 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蜷 under this radical.
What is the difference between 蜷缩 and 缩?
缩 (suō) just means to shrink or pull back. 蜷缩 specifically describes curling the body into a ball, often from cold, fear, or to sleep, as in 他冷得蜷缩成一团 (he was so cold he curled up into a ball).
Can 蜷 be used for things other than bodies?
Mostly it describes people or animals bending their bodies or limbs, such as 蜷腿 (quán tuǐ, to tuck up one's legs). For objects like paper rolling up, Chinese usually uses 卷 (juǎn) instead.