How to Write 蜒 (yán) — Meaning “slug; millipede (component)”

Imagine a slug (虫) slowly stretching out its body along a winding path (延). The right side 延 looks like a wavy line, reminding you of how a slug or centipede meanders as it moves.

Write the left radical 虫 first, making it narrow and tall. The right side 延 begins with a 廴 (long stride) component; be careful to draw the final sweeping stroke smoothly to the right, and do not make the 廴 too short, or the character will look unbalanced.

The right side of 蜒 is 延, which contains a walking radical 廴 and is longer, while 蚊 uses 文 (pattern) and 蚋 uses 内 (inside). In terms of meaning, 蜒 refers to long crawling creatures like slugs or centipedes, whereas 蚊 and 蚋 are flying insects (mosquito and gnat).

蜒 is rarely used alone but appears in the common word 蜿蜒 (wān yán), meaning winding or meandering, often describing rivers or roads. It also occurs in 蚰蜒 (yóu yán, house centipede) and 蜒蚰 (yán yóu, slug), which are names for actual animals.

Common words containing 蜒 include: 蜿蜒 (wān yán) — Winding or meandering; 蚰蜒 (yóu yán) — House centipede; 蜒蚰 (yán yóu) — slug.