How to Write 鲼 (fèn) — Meaning “Ray (fish)”

Imagine a fish (鱼) with huge fan-like fins, and think "fèn" sounds like "fan." The right side 贲 looks a bit like a fan spread out when you picture the top strokes as the handle and the bottom 贝 (shell) as the wide fin. This mnemonic helps you connect the sound and shape to a ray fish gliding like a fan.

Write the left radical 鱼 first (8 strokes: left to right, top to bottom), making it narrow. Then write the right part 贲: start with 艹 (3 strokes), then a horizontal stroke, then 贝 (4 strokes — left vertical, top horizontal, then the box with two small hooks). A common mistake is making the right part too tall or forgetting that 贝 has no extra strokes; keep it balanced and slightly wider than the left.

鲼 uses the component 贲 and means "ray fish." In contrast, 鲠 contains 更 and means "fish bone" (often used in the word 鱼鲠 for a fishbone stuck in the throat). 鲡 contains 丽 and refers to "eel." Visually, the right parts are completely different: 贲 vs 更 vs 丽, so you can distinguish them by focusing on the right-side component.

鲼 appears mainly in scientific or marine biology contexts, such as in the words 鲼鱼 (general term for rays) and 蝠鲼 (manta ray). It is not common in everyday conversation, but you might see it in aquarium exhibits, seafood menus, or documentaries about ocean life. Culturally, 蝠鲼 is linked to the "devil ray" nickname because its wide fins resemble a bat in flight.

Common words containing 鲼 include: 鲼鱼 (fèn yú) — Ray fish; 蝠鲼 (fú fèn) — Manta ray; 鲼类 (fèn lèi) — Rays (species).