蟲 meaning and stroke order
Insect, worm; mollusk
How to write 蟲, stroke by stroke
18 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 蟲
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- lower form of animal life, including insects, insect larvae, worms and similar creatures
- (fig.) person with a particular undesirable characteristic
How 蟲 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. The class of insects 虫.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蟲
蟲 is three 虫 stacked together, one on top and two below. One bug is a bug, but three bugs make a whole crawling class of insects and worms.
蟲 is the traditional form used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and older texts, while mainland China writes 虫. It appears in everyday words like 蟲子 (chóngzi) and 昆蟲 (kūnchóng), and figuratively for a kind of person, as in 可憐蟲 (kěliánchóng). Example: 樹上有很多蟲子。(Shù shang yǒu hěn duō chóngzi.) There are lots of bugs on the tree.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes mix up the three-bug 蟲 with 蠢 (chǔn, stupid), which has two 虫 under 春. Also keep the tone rising, chóng, not chōng like 沖.
Common words with 蟲
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蟲子 | chóngzi | insect; bug | HSK 4 |
| 昆蟲 | kūnchóng | insect | HSK 7-9 |
| 害蟲 | hàichóng | injurious insect; pest | HSK 7-9 |
| 寄生蟲 | jìshēngchóng | parasite (biology); (fig.) freeloader | |
| 螢火蟲 | yínghuǒchóng | firefly; glowworm | |
| 可憐蟲 | kěliánchóng | pitiful creature; wretch | |
| 甲蟲 | jiǎchóng | beetle | |
| 蠕蟲 | rúchóng | worm | |
| 殺蟲劑 | shāchóngjì | insecticide; pesticide | |
| 臭蟲 | chòuchóng | bedbug (Cimex lectularius); tick | |
| 幼蟲 | yòuchóng | (entomology) larva | |
| 毒蟲 | dúchóng | poisonous insect (or spider etc); venomous snake; (slang) junkie | |
| 蛀蟲 | zhùchóng | insect that eats into wood, books, clothes etc; fig. vermin | |
| 懶蟲 | lǎnchóng | (coll.) lazybones |
Characters that contain 蟲
Learning 蟲 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 蟲
How many strokes are in 蟲?
蟲 is written with 18 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蟲 mean?
蟲 (chóng) means insect, worm; mollusk. A common word with it is 虫子 (chóngzi), meaning "insect; bug".
How do you pronounce 蟲?
蟲 is pronounced chóng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 蟲?
The radical of 蟲 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蟲 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 蟲?
蟲 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 虫, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Can 蟲 be used to insult someone?
Yes. Added to a description, it labels a person by a bad trait, like 懶蟲 (lǎnchóng) lazybones or 寄生蟲 (jìshēngchóng) freeloader. It can sound teasing among friends but rude to strangers.
Does 蟲 only mean insects?
No. It covers many small creatures, including worms, larvae and similar crawling animals. For example, 蠕蟲 (rúchóng) means worm, and 甲蟲 (jiǎchóng) means beetle.