How to Write 犰 (qiú) — Meaning “armadillo (first character of 'qiúyú')”

Imagine an armadillo with nine bands on its shell, because the right side 九 means "nine." The animal radical 犭 on the left reminds you it is an animal. So you can remember 犰 as "the nine-band animal" that rolls into a ball.

The radical 犭 is written first with three strokes: a slanting stroke, a curved hook, and a short slanting stroke. Then write 九 with two strokes: first a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal bend with a hook; be careful not to make the hook too large. A common mistake is confusing the shape of 九 with 几, but in 犰 the hook is shorter and more curved.

犰 has 九 on the right, while 犯 has a different right component (㠯, which looks like an old form of 以) and 犴 has 干 (a dry or stem). In meaning, 犰 only appears in the word 犰狳 (armadillo), 犯 means "to commit" or "offend," and 犴 means a kind of wild dog or prison. Visually, the right parts are distinct: 九, 㠯, and 干.

犰 is rarely used alone and only appears in the word 犰狳 (armadillo), which is a loanword from English via scientific translation. Armadillos are not native to China, so the character is mostly seen in textbooks or animal documentaries. There are no special cultural stories attached, but the character's unusual structure often surprises learners.

Common words containing 犰 include: 犰狳 (qiú yú) — armadillo; 小犰狳 (xiǎo qiú yú) — baby armadillo; 犰狳皮 (qiú yú pí) — armadillo skin.