螃 meaning and stroke order
Crab
How to write 螃, stroke by stroke
16 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 螃
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 螃蟹[pang2 xie4]
How 螃 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Insect.
虫 gives the meaning and 旁 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 螃
The left side 虫 (chóng, insect or creature) marks a small animal, and the right side 旁 (páng, side) gives the sound. Picture a creature that walks sideways, 旁, and you have the crab.
螃 almost never appears alone. It is used in the word 螃蟹 (pángxiè), the everyday word for crab. Example: 我很喜欢吃螃蟹。(Wǒ hěn xǐhuan chī pángxiè.) I really like eating crab.
Common mistake: Learners often write 旁 (páng) without the 虫 radical when they mean the crab, or mix up the second character and write 蠏 or 解 instead of 蟹 (xiè). Keep 虫 on the left of 螃 and at the bottom of 蟹.
Common words with 螃
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 螃蟹 | pángxiè | crab |
螃 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 螃
How many strokes are in 螃?
螃 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 螃 mean?
螃 (páng) means crab. A common word with it is 螃蟹 (pángxiè), meaning "crab".
How do you pronounce 螃?
螃 is pronounced páng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 螃?
The radical of 螃 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 螃 under this radical.
Can I just say 蟹 instead of 螃蟹?
Yes, 蟹 (xiè) alone appears in food names and compounds like 蟹肉 (xièròu, crab meat) and 大闸蟹 (dàzháxiè, hairy crab). In casual speech, 螃蟹 is the usual full word for the animal.
Why does a crab character use 虫, the insect radical?
In Chinese characters, 虫 covers many small creatures, not only insects. It also appears in characters for snakes, frogs and shellfish, so a crab fits this group.