How to Write 蝎 (xiē) — Meaning “Scorpion (character component)”

Imagine a scorpion (虫) holding up a sign that says "What?" because the right side 曷 looks like the character for "what" in ancient forms. Another way: picture a scorpion's tail curling like the hook stroke in 曷.

The left radical 虫 should be narrow, with the middle stroke written as a dot. The right side 曷 has a top 日, then an angled hook, and finally 勹 and 亡; be careful not to make the right side too wide or confuse the order of the bottom strokes.

蝎 has the right component 曷 and means "scorpion." 蛵 has 巠 on the right and refers to a type of fly or insect, while 蛸 has 肖 and means a kind of mantis egg case or centipede. Visually, focus on the different right-side parts.

蝎 appears in everyday words like 蝎子 (scorpion) and 毒蝎 (venomous scorpion). It is also used in traditional Chinese medicine, where dried scorpions are an ingredient. Culturally, the scorpion is a symbol of danger and corresponds to the Scorpio zodiac sign.

Common words containing 蝎 include: 蝎子 (xiē zi) — Scorpion; 毒蝎 (dú xiē) — Venomous scorpion; 蝎子蛰 (xiē zi zhé) — Scorpion sting.