蠕 meaning and stroke order
Wasp; to wriggle, to squirm
How to write 蠕, stroke by stroke
20 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 蠕
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to squirm
- to wiggle
- to wriggle
- Taiwan pr. [ruan3]
- variant of 蠕[ru2]
How 蠕 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Insect.
虫 gives the meaning and 需 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蠕
On the left is 虫 (chóng), a bug or worm, which gives the meaning. On the right is 需 (xū), which hints at the sound rú, so picture a little worm that needs to wriggle to get anywhere.
蠕 almost never stands alone. It appears in words about slow, squirming movement, such as 蠕虫 (rúchóng, worm) and 蠕动 (rúdòng, to wriggle, to move like a worm). Example: 虫子在地上蠕动。(Chóngzi zài dì shang rúdòng.) The bug is wriggling on the ground.
Common mistake: Learners often read 蠕 as xū because of the 需 part, but the correct sound is rú, close to 儒 (rú, scholar) and 濡 (rú, to moisten). Also do not confuse it with 孺 (rú, child), which has 子 on the left instead of 虫.
Common words with 蠕
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蠕虫 | rúchóng | worm |
Questions about 蠕
How many strokes are in 蠕?
蠕 is written with 20 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蠕 mean?
蠕 (rú) means wasp; to wriggle, to squirm. A common word with it is 蠕虫 (rúchóng), meaning "worm".
How do you pronounce 蠕?
蠕 is pronounced rú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 蠕?
The radical of 蠕 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蠕 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 蠕?
The traditional form of 蠕 is 蝡. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 蠕 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 蠕动 mean besides worms moving?
蠕动 (rúdòng) also describes wave-like movement inside the body. 肠胃蠕动 (chángwèi rúdòng) means the movement of the stomach and intestines, a common term in medicine and health talk.
Why is the pronunciation sometimes listed as ruǎn?
In Taiwan, 蠕 is traditionally pronounced ruǎn. In mainland standard Mandarin it is rú, so learners using mainland materials should say rú.