How to Write 鲲 (kūn) — Meaning “Kun (a legendary giant fish)”

Think of 鲲 as the "king fish" because 昆 sounds like the English word "king" and the fish radical 鱼 reminds you it is a fish. So 鲲 is the king of all fish—a huge, mythical creature that rules the ocean. This visual link helps you recall both the sound and the meaning.

Write the left radical 鱼 first, which has 8 strokes, then the right part 昆 with the remaining 8 strokes. Pay attention to the top of 昆: it is the character 日 (sun), not 曰 (to speak). A common mistake is making the right side too narrow, so keep 昆 wide enough to balance the character.

鲲 has the right side 昆, while 鲑 has 圭 (guī) and means "salmon," and 鲒 has 吉 (jí) and means a type of clam. Visually, the right components are different. In meaning, 鲲 is a mythical giant fish, but 鲑 and 鲒 are real animals used in everyday language.

鲲 is rarely used in daily conversation but appears in classical phrases and names. The most famous usage is in the idiom 鲲鹏展翅 (kūn péng zhǎn chì), which comes from ancient philosophy and describes great ambition or transformation. In modern names, 鲲 symbolizes enormous size and power.

Common words containing 鲲 include: 鲲鹏 (kūn péng) — Kunpeng (a legendary giant bird transformed from a fish); 巨鲲 (jù kūn) — giant Kun (mythical giant fish); 鲲鱼 (kūn yú) — Kun fish.