蜿 meaning and stroke order
To creep, to crawl
How to write 蜿, 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 蜿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 蜿蜒[wan1 yan2]
How 蜿 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Crooked 宛 like an insect 虫; 宛 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蜿
The bug 虫 on the left moves in a winding, crooked way, and 宛 (wǎn) on the right suggests that bending path while also giving the sound wān. Picture a worm curling as it crawls.
蜿 almost never appears alone. It lives in the word 蜿蜒 (wānyán), which describes a snake wriggling or a road or river winding through the land. Example: 山路蜿蜒。(Shānlù wānyán.) The mountain road winds along.
Common mistake: Learners often write 碗 (wǎn, bowl) or 婉 (wǎn, gentle) by mistake, since all three share 宛. Only 蜿 has the bug radical 虫, and it is read in the first tone, wān, not third tone.
Common words with 蜿
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蜿蜒 | wānyán | (of a snake) to wriggle along; (of a river etc) to zigzag; to meander; to wind |
蜿 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 蜿
How many strokes are in 蜿?
蜿 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 蜿 mean?
蜿 (wān) means to creep, to crawl. A common word with it is 蜿蜒 (wānyán), meaning "(of a snake) to wriggle along; (of a river etc) to zigzag; to meander; to wind".
How do you pronounce 蜿?
蜿 is pronounced wān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 蜿?
The radical of 蜿 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蜿 under this radical.
Is 蜿蜒 the same as 弯弯曲曲?
Both describe something curving, but 弯弯曲曲 (wānwān qūqū) is everyday and plain. 蜿蜒 sounds more literary and adds a sense of long, flowing movement, like a river or the Great Wall stretching across hills.
Can 蜿蜒 be used for things that are not alive?
Yes. Although the 虫 radical points to snakes and worms, 蜿蜒 is very often used for rivers, roads, paths and mountain ranges, for example 河流蜿蜒 (héliú wānyán), the river meanders.