螂 meaning and stroke order
Mantis, dung beetle
How to write 螂, 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 螂
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- variant of 螂[lang2]
- used in 螞螂|蚂螂[ma1 lang2]
- used in 蜣螂[qiang1 lang2] and 虼螂[ge4 lang2]
- used in 螳螂[tang2 lang2]
- used in 蟑螂[zhang1 lang2]
How 螂 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Insect.
虫 gives the meaning and 郎 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 螂
螂 combines 虫 (insect) with 郎 (láng), which gives the sound. Picture a young man, 郎, who keeps finding insects 虫 crawling beside him.
螂 almost never appears alone. It is a bound syllable found in insect names like 蟑螂 (zhāngláng, cockroach), 螳螂 (tángláng, praying mantis), and 蜣螂 (qiāngláng, dung beetle). Example: 厨房里有蟑螂。(Chúfáng lǐ yǒu zhāngláng.) There are cockroaches in the kitchen.
Common mistake: Learners often write 郎 alone or swap in the similar 朗 (lǎng, bright) as the right side. The right part must be 郎 with the ⻏ ear shape, and the tone is second tone láng, not third.
Common words with 螂
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蟑螂 | zhāngláng | cockroach | |
| 螳螂 | tángláng | mantis; praying mantis |
螂 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 螂
How many strokes are in 螂?
螂 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 螂 mean?
螂 (láng) means mantis, dung beetle. A common word with it is 蟑螂 (zhāngláng), meaning "cockroach".
How do you pronounce 螂?
螂 is pronounced láng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 螂?
The radical of 螂 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 螂 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 螂?
The traditional form of 螂 is 蜋. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 螂 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do I tell 蟑螂 and 螳螂 apart?
Both end in 螂, so focus on the first character. 蟑 (zhāng) gives cockroach, and 螳 (táng) gives praying mantis. In speech, 蟑螂 is far more common in daily life.
Is the second syllable of 蟑螂 pronounced with a full tone?
In careful speech it is láng with a second tone. In casual northern speech the second syllable of these insect names can sound lighter, but learners should say zhāngláng and tángláng.