How to Write 蜎 (yuān) — Meaning “larva; to wriggle”

Imagine a little worm (虫) inside a round, moon-like circle (think of 肙 as a curved shape). The worm is wriggling around, so you can remember that 蜎 means "larva" or "to wriggle" by picturing a worm moving inside a round space.

When writing 蜎, make sure the left radical 虫 is narrow and tall, with the last stroke (dot) placed carefully. The right part 肙 has a small "mouth" (口) on top of a curved hook-like shape, and the overall balance should keep the character from being too wide. A common mistake is making the right side too large or forgetting the small dot inside the 虫 component.

蜎 (yuān) specifically refers to a larva or wriggling movement, while 蚯 (qiū) is part of 蚯蚓 (earthworm) and 蚰 (yóu) is part of 蚰蜒 (house centipede). Visually, 蜎 uses the right component 肙, whereas 蚯 has 丘 (hill) and 蚰 has 由 (cause). Unlike 蚯 and 蚰, 蜎 is rarely used alone in modern Chinese.

蜎 is an uncommon character not found in the HSK vocabulary. It appears mostly in classical or literary contexts, such as the word 蜎蜎 (wriggling) to describe the movement of larvae or insects. You might also see it in old texts or poetry, but in daily conversation, simpler words like 虫 or 蠕动 are preferred.

Common words containing 蜎 include: 蜎蜎 (yuān yuān) — wriggling; moving like a larva; 蜎飞 (yuān fēi) — flying insects; 蜎动 (yuān dòng) — to wriggle; to move like a worm.