How to Write 猋 (biāo) — Meaning “whirlwind / rapid”

Imagine three dogs chasing each other in a tight circle, kicking up dust and creating a small whirlwind. The three 犬 components visually stack like three racing dogs, linking to the character's meaning of speed and swirling motion.

Pay attention to balancing the three 犬 components: the leftmost and rightmost are slightly narrower, while the middle one sits a bit taller. Write each 犬 with the standard order (dot, horizontal, left-falling, right-falling) and leave small gaps between them.

猋 has three 犬 side by side, while 猒 is composed of a cliff radical (厂) over a single 犬, meaning 'satiated'. 献 has a 犬 on the left paired with a different right side (虍 plus a variant), meaning 'to offer'. Visually, 猋 is the only one with three dogs.

猋 is a rare character mainly found in ancient or literary texts, not in the HSK. It appears in formal compounds like 猋升 (to rise rapidly) and 猋发 (to burst forth suddenly), often describing swift, forceful actions in written or poetic contexts.

Common words containing 猋 include: 猋升 (biāo shēng) — to rise rapidly; 猋发 (biāo fā) — to burst forth suddenly; 猋速 (biāo sù) — rapid speed.