How to Write 蜴 (yì) — Meaning “Lizard”

Imagine a lizard (虫) that is very "easy" (sounds like 易, yì) to spot because it sits still in the sun. Alternatively, think of the phrase "a lizard says 'yì'" to link the pronunciation with the insect radical. This mnemonic helps you connect the shape and sound to the meaning.

Pay attention to the stroke order: first write the radical 虫 (6 strokes: vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal, vertical, horizontal, dot), then the right part 易 (8 strokes: vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal, horizontal, left-falling, horizontal fold hook, left-falling, left-falling). A common mistake is making the 虫 radical too wide; it should be narrow to leave space for the right side. Also ensure the two left-falling strokes at the end of 易 are distinct and not merged.

The character 蛐 (qū) is used in 蛐蛐 (cricket) and has the component 曲 inside, while 蛑 (máo) appears in 蝤蛑 (a type of crab) and contains 牟. In contrast, 蜴 (yì) has 易 (yì) on the right and always refers to lizards. Visually, the right parts are very different: 曲 has a box with extra strokes, 牟 has a top like "牜," and 易 looks like 日 plus 勿.

The character 蜴 is almost never used alone; it only appears in compound words like 蜥蜴 (xī yì, lizard) and occasionally in 变色蜴 (biàn sè yì, chameleon) or 巨蜴 (jù yì, monitor lizard). It is not part of the HSK vocabulary, so learners may encounter it in nature or biology texts. Culturally, lizards are sometimes associated with good luck or adaptability in Chinese folklore, but the character itself is rare.

Common words containing 蜴 include: 蜥蜴 (xī yì) — Lizard; 变色蜴 (biàn sè yì) — chameleon; 巨蜴 (jù yì) — giant lizard; monitor lizard.