How to Write 蚜 (yá) — Meaning “aphid”

Picture a tiny insect (虫) with a big, sharp tooth (牙). Since aphids use their needle-like mouths to bite into plants, imagining an insect with a tooth helps you recall both the sound (yá) and meaning (aphid).

Keep the left radical 虫 narrow and the right part 牙 balanced. A common mistake is making the 虫 too wide, which squeezes 牙; also, in 牙, the last stroke is a downward left curve (撇), not a straight horizontal line. Write the horizontal strokes of 牙 evenly spaced.

蚜 (yá) specifically means aphid, a plant-sucking insect. 虮 (jǐ) refers to the eggs of lice or other parasites, while 虰 (dīng) is used in words for dragonfly or red insect. Visually, 蚜 has 牙 on the right, 虮 has 几 (jǐ), and 虰 has 丁 (dīng) — each gives a different pronunciation and meaning.

蚜 is primarily used in agricultural or gardening contexts to talk about aphids, as in 蚜虫 (aphid). It is not a common character in daily conversation because aphids are a pest for farmers and gardeners. You might see it on pesticide labels or in biology texts.

Common words containing 蚜 include: 蚜虫 (yá chóng) — aphid; 杀蚜虫 (shā yá chóng) — to kill aphids; 绿蚜 (lǜ yá) — green aphid.