How to Write 蚬 (xiǎn) — Meaning “clam; corbicula”

Imagine a clam opening its shell just a little bit to "see" (见) what is around it. The left side 虫 reminds you that it is a creature. So you can think of 蚬 as a "seeing clam" peeking out from its shell.

Write the left radical 虫 first (6 strokes), then the right side 见 (4 strokes). Make sure the left side is narrower than the right side. A common mistake is making the bottom of 见 look like 贝 (shell) – remember 见 has a hook on the last stroke, while 贝 does not.

蚬 (xiǎn) means "clam" and has 见 on the right. 虮 (jǐ) means "louse egg" and has 几 (small table) on the right. 虰 (dīng) means "dragonfly" and has 丁 (nail) on the right. Visually, the right side of 蚬 is taller and has a clear 见 shape, while the other two have smaller, simpler right parts.

蚬 is used mainly in southern Chinese cuisine, for example in dishes like 蚬汤 (clam soup) and 蚬肉 (clam meat). It is not part of the HSK vocabulary because it is a specific food word, not a high-frequency general term. Culturally, 蚬 is especially popular in Cantonese and Fujian cooking, where people enjoy small freshwater clams in soups or stir-fries.

Common words containing 蚬 include: 蚬子 (xiǎn zi) — clam; 蚬肉 (xiǎn ròu) — clam meat; 蚬汤 (xiǎn tāng) — clam soup.