How to Write 猹 (chá) — Meaning “A badger-like animal”

Imagine a badger (犭) sneaking into a melon field to check (查) if the melons are ripe. The "checking" action of 查 helps you recall the sound chá. This visual story links the animal radical with the phonetic part.

Start with the left radical 犭: write a left-slanting line, then a hook, and a second left-slanting line. Then write the right part 查 from top to bottom: first 木 (wood) and then 旦 (dawn). Make sure the right side is balanced with the left, and do not make 犭 too narrow.

猹 (chá) means a badger-like animal, while 狳 (yú) refers to an armadillo and 狴 (bì) is a mythical beast. Visually, 猹 contains 查, 狳 contains 余, and 狴 contains 卑. They share the animal radical 犭 but have different meanings and pronunciations.

猹 is a rare character that appears mainly in classical literature, most famously in Lu Xun's story "Hometown" where it describes a melon-stealing badger. It is not part of the HSK vocabulary and is seldom used in everyday Chinese conversation. You might encounter it when reading older texts or discussing Lu Xun's works.

Common words containing 猹 include: 猹 (chá) — A badger-like animal; 猹子 (chá zi) — A badger-like animal; 偷瓜的猹 (tōu guā de chá) — The melon-stealing badger.