蟹 meaning and stroke order
Crab, brachyura
How to write 蟹, stroke by stroke
19 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 蟹
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- crab
- variant of 蟹[xie4]
How 蟹 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Insect.
虫 gives the meaning and 解 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蟹
蟹 (xiè) puts 解 (jiě, to take apart) on top of 虫, the creature radical. Think of a crab as a little creature you have to take apart at dinner, and 解 also hints at the sound xiè.
On its own 蟹 appears in food words like 蟹肉 (xièròu, crab meat) and 大闸蟹 (dàzháxiè, hairy crab), but in everyday speech people usually say 螃蟹 (pángxiè). Example: 我们晚上吃螃蟹吧。(Wǒmen wǎnshang chī pángxiè ba.) Let's eat crab tonight.
Common mistake: Learners often read 蟹 as jiě because of the 解 on top, but the correct reading is xiè with a fourth tone. Also remember 虫 goes at the bottom under the whole of 解, not on the left side like in many other creature characters.
Common words with 蟹
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 螃蟹 | pángxiè | crab |
蟹 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 蟹
How many strokes are in 蟹?
蟹 is written with 19 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蟹 mean?
蟹 (xiè) means crab, brachyura. A common word with it is 螃蟹 (pángxiè), meaning "crab".
How do you pronounce 蟹?
蟹 is pronounced xiè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 蟹?
The radical of 蟹 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蟹 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 蟹?
The traditional form of 蟹 is 蠏. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 蟹 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why is a crab written with the insect radical 虫?
In Chinese, 虫 is used broadly for small creatures, not just insects. Many animals like snakes 蛇 (shé) and shrimp 虾 (xiā) also use it.
What is the difference between 蟹 and 螃蟹?
They mean the same animal. 螃蟹 is the normal spoken word, while 蟹 alone is more common in compounds, menus, and written Chinese.