How to Write 蛞 (kuò) — Meaning “slug”

Picture a small insect (虫) stretching out its tongue (舌) like a slug. The tongue is long and sticky, just like a slug's body. This image of an insect with a tongue will help you recall that 蛞 means slug.

Write the left radical 虫 narrow and slightly taller, taking about one-third of the character width. On the right, 舌 has a short top horizontal stroke, then a larger 口 below; keep the 口 centered. A common mistake is making the dot on top of 虫 too large or placing it in the middle instead of the left side.

All three have the insect radical 虫, but their right parts differ. 蛞 has 舌 (tongue) and means 'slug', 蚊 has 文 (writing/pattern) and means 'mosquito', while 蚋 has 内 (inside) and means 'gnat' or 'midge'. Visually, 蛞 looks like a tongue next to an insect, so remember 'tongue-slug'.

蛞 is rarely used alone; it mainly appears in the word 蛞蝓 (kuò yú) meaning 'slug'. You might encounter it in biology textbooks, gardening articles about pests, or traditional Chinese medicine where dried slugs are used as an ingredient. It is not a common everyday character for most learners.

Common words containing 蛞 include: 蛞蝓 (kuò yú) — slug; 蛞蝓干 (kuò yú gàn) — dried slug; 找蛞蝓 (zhǎo kuò yú) — to look for slugs.