How to Write 蜩 (tiáo) — Meaning “Cicada”

Imagine a cicada (虫) that chirps every week (周) during summer. This links the insect radical to the "weekly" cycle of its sound, helping you recall the character's meaning and pronunciation.

Write the left radical 虫 first, making it narrow and tall. The right side 周 has a 冂 frame with a small 口 inside and a bottom 口, so keep the proportions balanced — the whole character should be slightly wider on the right.

蜩 means cicada, while 蛐 (qū) refers to a cricket and 蛑 (móu) means a kind of crab. Visually, 蜩 has 周 on the right, 蛐 has 曲, and 蛑 has 牟 — the shapes are distinct despite sharing the 虫 radical.

蜩 is rarely used in daily conversation but appears in classical poetry and literary descriptions of summer. Common words like 鸣蜩 (chirping cicada) capture the nostalgic sound of cicadas, which symbolize hot weather and the passage of time.

Common words containing 蜩 include: 蜩蝉 (tiáo chán) — Cicada; 鸣蜩 (míng tiáo) — Chirping cicada; 蜩鸣 (tiáo míng) — The chirping of cicadas.