How to Write 魍 (wǎng) — Meaning “Water demon”

Imagine a ghost (鬼) wearing a net (罔) while lurking in a river, ready to catch swimmers. The net shape on the right can remind you of tangled water weeds where a water demon might hide. This visual combines the radical's meaning with the phonetic component's shape.

The radical 鬼 has 9 strokes: write the top part 甶 first, then the left 丿, then the inner 厶, and finally the 厶-like tail. The right side 罔 is 8 strokes, starting with the outer frame 冂, then the two 乛 strokes inside, and finishing with 亡. Common mistakes include making the 鬼 radical too wide or the 罔 part too narrow; keep them balanced and the 鬼 radical slightly taller.

魍 (wǎng) specifically means 'water demon' and always includes the 罔 component on the right. 魆 (xū) has 戌 on the right and means 'dark' or 'ghostly' but not a water demon. 魇 (yǎn) has 厭 on the right and means 'nightmare' or 'to be haunted in a dream.' Visually, only 魍 has the 罔 (net-like) shape on the right side.

魍 is rarely used alone; it appears almost exclusively in the compound 魍魉 (wǎng liǎng), which refers to all kinds of demons and monsters, often in classical literature. In modern Chinese, you might see it in idioms like '魍魉魑魅' to describe evil people or sinister forces. It is not common in daily speech but remains a poetic or literary term.

Common words containing 魍 include: 魍魉 (wǎng liǎng) — Demons and monsters; 魍魂 (wǎng hún) — Spirit of a water demon; 魍魅 (wǎng mèi) — Water spirits.