How to Write 猳 (jiā) — Meaning “male pig or boar”

Imagine a male pig (boar) wearing a 'jia' (甲) armor on its body, because 猳 sounds like jiā. The left side 犭 is the animal, and the right side 叚 looks like a pig with a fake (叚) crown, reminding you it's the male leader of the herd.

The stroke order for 猳 follows standard left-to-right: first write 犭 (3 strokes), then 叚 (9 strokes). Pay attention to the 叚 component: start with the top horizontal stroke, then the two verticals, and carefully write the bottom part resembling '又' but with a horizontal line. A common mistake is making the right side too wide; keep it balanced within the square.

猳 (jiā) means 'male pig/boar,' while 狳 (yú) is a different animal (pangolin or armadillo-like creature) used in words like 狳皮. In contrast, 狴 (bì) refers to a mythical fierce beast often carved on prison gates. Visually, 猳 has 叚 on the right, 狳 has 余 (yú) meaning 'surplus,' and 狴 has 卑 (bēi) meaning 'low' on the right.

猳 is a rare classical character not found in modern HSK lists, appearing mostly in ancient texts or specialized terms like 猳豚 (piglet) and 猳玃 (a large mythical ape). It is not used in everyday speech, but you may encounter it in Chinese mythology or historical writings about boars and wild pigs.

Common words containing 猳 include: 猳豚 (jiā tún) — piglet; 猳玃 (jiā jué) — a large mythical ape; 牡猳 (mǔ jiā) — boar; male pig.