豺 meaning and stroke order
Wolf; cruel, mean, wicked
How to write 豺, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Meaning of 豺
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- dog-like animal
- ravenous beast
- dhole (Cuon Alpinus)
- jackal
How 豺 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Beast.
豸 gives the meaning and 才 hints at the sound.
Radical: 豸 (badger), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 豺
豺 combines 豸 (a crouching beast with a long back, ready to pounce) with 才 (cái), which gives the sound. Picture a beast 豸 that is clever and quick, like the 才 of a talented hunter, and you have the dhole or jackal.
豺 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It mostly shows up in 豺狼 (cháiláng), which is used literally for wild predators and figuratively for cruel, greedy people. Example: 他们是一群豺狼。(Tāmen shì yì qún cháiláng.) They are a pack of wolves.
Common mistake: Learners often read 豺 as cái because of the phonetic 才, but the correct pronunciation is chái with a second tone. Also do not confuse it with 豹 (bào, leopard), which shares the 豸 radical but has 勺 on the right.
Common words with 豺
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 豺狼 | cháiláng | jackal and wolf; ravenous wolf |
豺 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 豺
How many strokes are in 豺?
豺 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 豺 mean?
豺 (chái) means wolf; cruel, mean, wicked. A common word with it is 豺狼 (cháiláng), meaning "jackal and wolf; ravenous wolf".
How do you pronounce 豺?
豺 is pronounced chái, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 豺?
The radical of 豺 is 豸, which carries the idea of "badger". Dictionaries list 豺 under this radical.
What is the difference between 豺 and 狼?
豺 is the dhole or jackal, a smaller wild dog that hunts in packs, while 狼 (láng) is the wolf. Together as 豺狼 they stand for ferocious, wicked people or enemies.
Is there a common idiom with 豺?
Yes, 豺狼当道 (cháiláng dāng dào) means wicked people hold power. Another is 豺狼虎豹 (cháiláng hǔbào), a list of fierce beasts used for cruel, dangerous people.