How to Write 鳅 (qiū) — Meaning “loach”

Imagine a loach as a "fish" (鱼) that is especially active in "autumn" (秋) when rice fields are drained and people catch loaches. The right part 秋 looks like a fish with a tail, helping you link the sound and meaning.

The left radical 鱼 should be written narrow, with the bottom horizontal stroke slightly angled up. The right part 秋 must balance well: the 禾 (grain) on top and 火 (fire) below should not be too large or too small, and the left dot of 火 should align with the middle of 禾.

鳅 (qiū, loach) uses the component 秋 (autumn), while 鲠 (gěng, fishbone) uses 更 (gèng) and 鲡 (lí, eel) uses 丽 (lì). Their pronunciations and meanings are completely different: 鳅 is a fish, 鲠 means a bone stuck in the throat, and 鲡 refers to eels.

鳅 appears most often in the common word 泥鳅 (níqiū, loach), which is a popular ingredient in Chinese cooking, such as in soups or stir-fries. The character also appears in the children's song "抓泥鳅" (zhuā níqiū, catch loaches), which is a folk activity in rural areas.

Common words containing 鳅 include: 泥鳅 (ní qiū) — Loach; 鳅鱼 (qiū yú) — loach; 抓泥鳅 (zhuā ní qiū) — Catch loaches.