How to Write 罴 (pí) — Meaning “Brown bear”

Picture a brown bear caught in a net — the net (罒) is on top of the bear (熊). This creates a mental image of a "net-bear," which helps you recall that 罴 means brown bear.

Write the top radical 罒 first with 5 compact strokes, then add the bear part 熊 below. A common mistake is making the net too large or the bear too narrow — keep the top small and the bottom wide to balance the 14 strokes.

罴 has the bear component 熊 at the bottom, while 罨 has 奄 (meaning cover) and 罩 has 卓 (meaning table). Visually, 罴 looks like a net over a bear, whereas 罨 and 罩 have different lower shapes and unrelated meanings.

罴 is not common in daily conversation; the modern word for brown bear is usually 棕熊. It appears in classical idioms like 熊罴入梦 (a dream of bears, a sign of having a son) and in literary references to strong warriors, such as 熊罴之士.

Common words containing 罴 include: 棕罴 (zōng pí) — brown bear; 罴迹 (pí jì) — Tracks of a brown bear; 熊罴 (xióng pí) — Bears (specifically brown and black bears).