Hanzi Writer

How to Write 蛤 (gé/há) — Meaning “Clam”

gé/há 12 strokes Radical: 虫

蛤 (gé/há) means "Clam" in Chinese. It has 12 strokes with the radical 虫.

Rated 4.2/5 in difficulty (advanced).

Appears in 2+ common words including 蛤蟆 (há ma), 蛤蜊 (gé lí).

Due to its 12 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 蛤 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 蛤 - gé/há

Practice Writing 蛤 (gé/há)

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How to Write 蛤

The character 蛤 (gé/há) is written with 12 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 虫 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does gé/há (蛤) Mean in Chinese?

蛤 means Clam.

This is a polyphonic character with readings: gé, há.

Character Data

Character蛤
Pinyingé / há (ge/ha)
MeaningClam
Strokes12
Radical虫
Difficulty4.2/5

Origin of 蛤

The character 蛤 combines the radical 虫, indicating a creature (like a shelled animal), with the phonetic component 合 (hé, 'to close'), which also hints at the clam's two shells that clamp shut. This reflects how a clam closes its shell tightly when disturbed.

💡 Memory Tip: A clam (虫) that claps its shell shut (合) with a loud 'GÉ!' sound.

Common Words with 蛤

蛤蟆 há ma
Toad
蛤蜊 gé lí
Clam

Example Sentences

池塘边传来了阵阵蛤蟆的叫声，此起彼伏。

chí táng biān chuán lái le zhèn zhèn há ma de jiào shēng cǐ qǐ bǐ fú

The croaking of toads came from the pond, rising and falling one after another.

这里的炭烤蛤蜊味道非常鲜美，值得一试。

zhè lǐ de tàn kǎo gé lí wèi dào fēi cháng xiān měi zhí de yī shì

The charcoal-grilled clams here are delicious and worth a try.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
蛤 (current) gé / há 12 虫
蚊 wén 10 虫
蚋 ruì 10 虫
蚌 bàng 10 虫
Stroke order practice for 蛤 - gé/há

Practice Writing 蛤 (gé/há)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 蛤 with real-time feedback.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 蛤

The character 蛤 is made of the radical 虫 (insect/creature) on the left and 合 (to close or combine) on the right. The radical shows it is an animal, and 合 hints at a clam's shell closing tightly. Together, they create the meaning 'clam', a creature with a hinged shell.

Characters with Radical 虫

虫chóng虬qiú虮jǐ虰dīng虱shī虹hóng虺huī虻méng虼gè虽suī

Other 12-Stroke Characters

亵xiè傅fù傈lì傍bàng傕jué傚xiào傣dǎi傥tǎng傧bīn储chǔ