蟆 meaning and stroke order
Frog, toad
How to write 蟆, 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 蟆
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- toad
- old variant of 蟆[ma2]
How 蟆 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Insect.
虫 gives the meaning and 莫 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蟆
The left side 虫 (chóng) marks a small creature, and the right side 莫 (mò) gives the sound. Picture a toad hiding in the grass at sunset, which is a creature 虫 that makes a sound close to 莫.
蟆 almost never appears alone. It lives inside the word 蛤蟆 (háma), a common everyday word for a frog or toad. Example: 池塘里有一只蛤蟆。(Chítáng lǐ yǒu yì zhī háma.) There is a toad in the pond.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 莫 with a missing bottom stroke or confuse it with 漠 or 模, which share the same sound part. In 蛤蟆 the second syllable is usually read in a neutral tone (háma), so do not stress it as a full má.
Common words with 蟆
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蛤蟆 | háma | frog; toad |
Questions about 蟆
How many strokes are in 蟆?
蟆 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 蟆 mean?
蟆 (má) means frog, toad. A common word with it is 蛤蟆 (háma), meaning "frog; toad".
How do you pronounce 蟆?
蟆 is pronounced má, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 蟆?
The radical of 蟆 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蟆 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 蟆?
The traditional form of 蟆 is 蟇. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 蟆 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 蛤蟆 and 青蛙?
青蛙 (qīngwā) usually means a frog, especially a green one. 蛤蟆 (háma) is a more colloquial word that often means a toad, though in speech it can cover frogs too.
Is 蛤 in 蛤蟆 read gé or há?
In 蛤蟆 it is read há. The reading gé is used in other words, such as 蛤蜊 (gélí), a clam.