螞 meaning and stroke order
Ant; leech
How to write 螞, 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 螞
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 螞螂|蚂螂[ma1 lang2]
- used in 螞蟥|蚂蟥[ma3 huang2]
- used in 螞蟻|蚂蚁[ma3 yi3]
- used in 螞蚱|蚂蚱[ma4 zha5]
How 螞 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Insect.
虫 gives the meaning and 馬 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 螞
螞 is a pictophonetic character: 虫 (chóng, insect) on the left gives the meaning, and 馬 (mǎ, horse) on the right gives the sound. Picture a tiny insect that sounds like a horse, mǎ.
螞 almost never appears alone. It shows up in names of small creatures such as 螞蟻 (mǎyǐ, ant), 螞蟥 (mǎhuáng, leech) and 螞蚱 (màzha, grasshopper). Example: 地上有很多螞蟻。(Dì shang yǒu hěn duō mǎyǐ.) There are many ants on the ground.
Common mistake: Learners often read 螞 as mǎ everywhere, but in 螞蚱 it is mà (màzha), and in 螞螂 it is mā (mālang). Also do not confuse it with 媽 (mā, mom), which has 女 on the left instead of 虫.
Common words with 螞
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 螞
How many strokes are in 螞?
螞 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 螞 mean?
螞 (mǎ) means ant; leech. A common word with it is 蚂蚁 (mǎyǐ), meaning "ant".
How do you pronounce 螞?
螞 is pronounced mǎ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 螞?
The radical of 螞 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 螞 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 螞?
螞 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 蚂, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the simplified form used in mainland China?
In simplified Chinese, 螞 is written 蚂, with the simplified 马 on the right. So 螞蟻 becomes 蚂蚁 and 螞蚱 becomes 蚂蚱.
What does 螞螂 (mālang) mean?
螞螂 is a regional word for dragonfly, used mainly in northern dialects. The standard word for dragonfly is 蜻蜓 (qīngtíng).