How to Write 蚰 (yóu) — Meaning “House centipede (character component)”

Think of a house centipede (虫) crawling along a path (由) — the character looks like an insect on a road. The pronunciation 'yóu' sounds like 'you', so you can remember 'you see a centipede on your path'.

Write the left radical 虫 first, then the right part 由. Make sure the 虫 is slightly narrower than the 由, and the vertical stroke of 由 aligns with the center. A common mistake is making the 由 too wide, which throws off the balance.

蚰 (yóu) means 'house centipede' and has 由 on the right, while 虹 (hóng) means 'rainbow' and has 工 (gōng) on the right. 虺 (huǐ) means 'venomous snake' and has 兀 (wù) on the right. Visually, the right side differs: 由, 工, 兀.

蚰 is almost only used in the word 蚰蜒 (yóu yán), meaning house centipede, and in a few traditional medicine terms like 蚰蜒草. In Chinese culture, house centipedes are often seen as beneficial for eating pests but can be startling due to their many legs.

Common words containing 蚰 include: 蚰蜒 (yóu yán) — House centipede; 蚰子 (yóu zi) — House centipede; 蚰蜒草 (yóu yán cǎo) — House centipede herb.