How to Write 蛱 (jiá) — Meaning “Nymphalid butterfly”

Imagine a butterfly with two wings clamped together—like the 夹 (to clamp) part. The insect radical 虫 is on the left, so picture a tiny bug (虫) being clamped (夹) by the butterfly's wings to form 蛱.

Write the left radical 虫 first with the correct order: vertical stroke, horizontal stroke, vertical stroke, dot, then a small horizontal. The right part 夹 has a large 夫-like shape; make sure the two horizontal strokes are clearly separated and the final stroke is a dot (捺) not a left-falling stroke.

All three have the insect radical 虫, but 蛱 means a butterfly (Nymphalid), 蚊 means mosquito, and 蚋 means a type of small fly or gnat. Visually, 蛱 has 夹 on the right, 蚊 has 文, and 蚋 has 内—each changes the meaning completely.

蛱 is mainly used in scientific names for butterflies, like 蛱蝶 (jiá dié) meaning Nymphalid butterfly. You might find it in biology textbooks or insect collections, but it is rare in everyday conversation and not listed in the HSK vocabulary.

Common words containing 蛱 include: 蛱蝶 (jiá dié) — Nymphalid butterfly; 凤蛱 (fèng jiá) — Swallowtail butterfly; 蛱蝶类 (jiá dié lèi) — Nymphalid butterflies.