How to Write 蝙 (biān) — Meaning “Bat (character component)”

Imagine a flat (扁) bug (虫) hanging upside down — that is a bat. The left side 虫 reminds you it's a creature, and the right side 扁 helps you visualize its flat, wing-like shape. You can also think of the word 'bat' starting with 'b' and 扁 starting with 'b' in pinyin.

Pay attention to the stroke order of the right part 扁: first write 户 (4 strokes), then the inner section: 冂 (2 strokes) followed by two horizontal lines and a vertical line (3 more strokes). The left radical 虫 should be narrower and slightly higher, while 扁 is wider and takes up about two-thirds of the character width.

All three share the 虫 radical, but they have different right-side components: 蝙 has 扁 (biǎn), 蛵 has 巠 (jīng), and 蛸 has 肖 (xiào). 蝙 specifically means 'bat,' while 蛵 is an ancient term for a type of insect (rarely used), and 蛸 appears in 螵蛸 (mantis egg case). Visually, 蝙's right side looks like a flat shape, whereas 蛵's right side resembles 经 without the silk radical, and 蛸's right side looks like 消 without the water radical.

蝙 almost always appears in the word 蝙蝠 (biānfú, bat). It is also used in proper nouns like 蝙蝠侠 (Batman) and clothing styles such as 蝙蝠衫 (batwing sleeve shirt). Culturally, bats are considered lucky because 蝠 sounds like 福 (fú, good fortune), so bat patterns often appear in traditional Chinese decorations.

Common words containing 蝙 include: 蝙蝠 (biān fú) — Bat; 蝙蝠侠 (biān fú xiá) — Batman; 蝙蝠衫 (biān fú shān) — Batwing sleeve shirt.