How to Write 猿 (yuán) — Meaning “Ape”

Imagine an ape (犭) standing next to a round face (the top part of 袁 looks like a circle with a mouth and clothing). The right side 袁 can be remembered as "round (circle) + clothes" because apes sometimes wear things in cartoons. This mental picture helps you recall the shape of the character.

Write the left radical 犭 first with three strokes: left-falling, curved hook, left-falling — keep it narrow. Then the right part 袁: start with 土 at the top, then 口 in the middle, and finally 衣 at the bottom. A common mistake is making the 衣 component too wide or adding extra strokes, so keep each part balanced.

The right side differs: 猿 uses 袁 (yuán), 猇 uses 虎 (tiger, pronounced xiāo), and 猊 uses 兒 (ér, now simplified to 儿). Meaning-wise, 猿 refers to real apes and monkeys, while 猇 and 猊 are names of mythical beasts. Visually, 猿's right part contains 土, 口, and 衣, while the others have different components.

猿 appears in scientific terms like 类人猿 (anthropoid ape) and general words like 猿猴 (apes and monkeys). It is also used in classical poetry, such as Li Bai's line 'The apes on both banks cry without stopping,' which many Chinese learners recognize. In everyday conversation, it is less common than 猴子 (monkey) but still appears in literature and biology.

Common words containing 猿 include: 猿猴 (yuán hóu) — Apes and monkeys; 猿人 (yuán rén) — Ape-man; hominid; 类人猿 (lèi rén yuán) — Anthropoid ape; hominoid.