鬣 meaning and stroke order
A man's whiskers; a horse's mane; a fish's fin
How to write 鬣, stroke by stroke
25 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 鬣
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bristles
- mane
How 鬣 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Whiskers 巤 of hair 髟; 巤 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 髟 (long hair), shared by 21 characters on this site.
How to remember 鬣
The top part 髟 means long, flowing hair, and the bottom part 巤 looks like bristles standing up in a row. Together they picture a stiff fringe of hair, like a horse's mane or a man's whiskers, and 巤 (liè) also gives the sound.
鬣 (liè) is a literary or technical character, mostly seen in compound words for animals with manes, crests, or spiny fringes. The most common everyday word is 鬣蜥 (lièxī), iguana. Example: 这只鬣蜥很安静。(Zhè zhī lièxī hěn ānjìng.) This iguana is very quiet.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 鬣 with 猎 (liè, to hunt) because they share the same pronunciation and tone. Remember that 鬣 has the hair radical 髟 on top, so it is about hair or bristles, not hunting.
Common words with 鬣
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鬣蜥 | lièxī | iguana |
Questions about 鬣
How many strokes are in 鬣?
鬣 is written with 25 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鬣 mean?
鬣 (liè) means a man's whiskers; a horse's mane; a fish's fin. A common word with it is 鬣蜥 (lièxī), meaning "iguana".
How do you pronounce 鬣?
鬣 is pronounced liè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 鬣?
The radical of 鬣 is 髟, which carries the idea of "long hair". Dictionaries list 鬣 under this radical.
What is the Chinese word for hyena, and does it use 鬣?
Yes. Hyena is 鬣狗 (liègǒu), named for the bristly mane along its neck and back. It is a common word in nature documentaries and zoos.
How do you say a horse's mane in Chinese?
A horse's mane is usually called 马鬣 (mǎliè) in written Chinese, while everyday speech often uses 鬃毛 (zōngmáo). The lion's mane can also be described with 鬣 in literary writing.