鼹 meaning and stroke order
A kind of insectivorous rodent
How to write 鼹, stroke by stroke
23 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 鼹
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- mole
How 鼹 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Rat.
鼠 gives the meaning and 晏 hints at the sound.
Radical: 鼠 (rat), shared by 9 characters on this site.
How to remember 鼹
On the left is 鼠 (shǔ), rat, telling you this is a small rodent-like animal. On the right is 晏 (yàn), which gives the sound yǎn, so picture a little animal that hides from the sun 日 underground.
鼹 almost never appears alone. It is used in the word 鼹鼠 (yǎnshǔ), the everyday name for a mole. Example: 鼹鼠在地下挖洞。(Yǎnshǔ zài dìxià wā dòng.) The mole digs tunnels underground.
Common mistake: Learners often read 鼹 as yàn because of its phonetic part 晏 (yàn), but the correct tone is third tone, yǎn. Also, do not drop 鼠 in speech. Say 鼹鼠, not just 鼹.
Common words with 鼹
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鼹鼠 | yǎnshǔ | mole (zoology) |
Questions about 鼹
How many strokes are in 鼹?
鼹 is written with 23 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鼹 mean?
鼹 (yǎn) means a kind of insectivorous rodent. A common word with it is 鼹鼠 (yǎnshǔ), meaning "mole (zoology)".
How do you pronounce 鼹?
鼹 is pronounced yǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 鼹?
The radical of 鼹 is 鼠, which carries the idea of "rat". Dictionaries list 鼹 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 鼹?
The traditional form of 鼹 is 鼴. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 鼹 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is a mole in Chinese considered a kind of rat?
The character uses 鼠 (shǔ) as its meaning part, and the common word 鼹鼠 also ends in 鼠. That is a naming habit. 鼠 appears in many small animal names, so it does not mean Chinese speakers think a mole is a true rat.
Can 鼹鼠 mean a spy, like mole in English?
The dictionary data here only gives the animal meaning, mole in zoology. To talk about a spy, it is safer to use a word such as 内奸 (nèijiān) or 卧底 (wòdǐ) than to assume 鼹鼠 carries that sense.