鯊 meaning and stroke order
Shark
How to write 鯊, 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 鯊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- shark
How 鯊 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fish.
魚 gives the meaning and 沙 hints at the sound.
Radical: 魚 (fish), shared by 63 characters on this site.
How to remember 鯊
A fish 魚 (yú) on the bottom gives the meaning, and 沙 (shā, sand) on top gives the sound. Picture a shark gliding just above the sandy sea floor.
In everyday speech the character usually appears in the two-syllable word 鯊魚 (shāyú, shark) rather than alone. It also names specific species, such as 大白鯊 (dàbáishā, great white shark). Example: 海裡有鯊魚。(Hǎi lǐ yǒu shāyú.) There are sharks in the sea.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write only 沙 (shā, sand) for shark because the sound is identical. Remember that shark needs the fish part 魚 underneath. In simplified Chinese the fish part becomes 鱼 and moves to the left, as in 鲨.
Common words with 鯊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鯊魚 | shāyú | shark | HSK 7-9 |
| 大白鯊 | dàbáishā | great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) |
Questions about 鯊
How many strokes are in 鯊?
鯊 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 鯊 mean?
鯊 (shā) means shark. A common word with it is 鲨鱼 (shāyú), meaning "shark".
How do you pronounce 鯊?
鯊 is pronounced shā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 鯊?
The radical of 鯊 is 魚, which carries the idea of "fish". Dictionaries list 鯊 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 鯊?
鯊 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 鲨, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do you say shark fin soup in Chinese?
It is 魚翅湯 (yúchì tāng). Notice that 鯊 does not appear in it. 翅 (chì) means wing or fin.
Why is the fish part at the bottom in 鯊 but on the left in 鲨?
In the traditional form 鯊, 魚 sits under 沙. The simplified form 鲨 keeps the same idea, with 沙 on top and 鱼 below. Both are the same character, so read each one as sand over fish.