How to Write 狳 (yú) — Meaning “armadillo (component)”

Picture a dog (犭) with extra (余) armor — the extra part is like the shell of an armadillo. The right side 余 looks like a small creature with a roof over its back, reminding you of the armadillo's protective shell. This connects the animal radical to the idea of something "extra" or leftover protection.

The radical 犭 has a specific stroke order: left-falling stroke, then hook stroke, then another left-falling stroke — do not combine them. The right part 余 starts with a downward stroke (人), then two horizontal strokes, and a small hook at the bottom; make sure the top doesn't look like 八. Common mistake is writing the left radical too wide — keep it narrow so the right side has room.

狳 (yú) has the right component 余 (yú) and means armadillo component, while 狉 (pī) has the right component 丕 (pī) and refers to a wild beast or badger. 狊 (jú) has the right component 臭 (xiù) and is an ancient word for a kind of monkey. The radicals are all 犭, so focus on the different right-side components to distinguish them visually and in meaning.

狳 is rarely used alone; it appears almost exclusively in the compound 犰狳 (qiú yú), meaning "armadillo." You might also see 犰狳壳 (armadillo shell) or 小犰狳 (baby armadillo) in zoological contexts. It is not part of HSK vocabulary, so learners will mainly encounter it when reading about animals or Chinese mythology.

Common words containing 狳 include: 犰狳 (qiú yú) — armadillo; 犰狳壳 (qiú yú ké) — armadillo shell; 小犰狳 (xiǎo qiú yú) — baby armadillo.