How to Write 蚌 (bàng) — Meaning “Mussel / Clam”

Imagine a clam (虫) that is full (丰) of precious pearls. The shape of 丰 inside the clam can remind you of a pearl. This picture helps you recall that 蚌 means "mussel" or "clam" and is related to pearl production.

Write the left radical 虫 first (6 strokes), finishing with a dot at the bottom — do not make a hook. Then add the right part 丰 (4 strokes), making sure the vertical line goes through all three horizontal strokes. A common mistake is to make the middle horizontal stroke too long or to forget the dot in 虫.

The key difference is the right-side component. 蚌 uses 丰 (three horizontal strokes), while 虮 uses 几 (a small table shape) and 虰 uses 丁 (a nail shape). 蚌 means "clam," 虮 means "louse eggs," and 虰 refers to a type of insect—so their meanings are completely different.

蚌 appears in words like 蚌壳 (clam shell) and 珍珠蚌 (pearl oyster or pearl mussel). In Chinese culture, clams are famous for producing pearls, so 蚌 often appears in stories about treasure and seafood dishes. Though not in the HSK vocabulary, it is useful when talking about shellfish or pearls.

Common words containing 蚌 include: 蚌壳 (bàng ké) — clam shell; 珍珠蚌 (zhēn zhū bàng) — Pearl oyster; pearl mussel; 蚌肉 (bàng ròu) — clam meat.