How to Write 螈 (yuán) — Meaning “Newt / Salamander”

Picture a newt crawling in a field (原) with an insect-like body (虫). The right side 原 looks like a spring or source, so imagine the newt living near a water source in the field.

Write the left radical 虫 first with 6 strokes, then the right part 原 with 10 strokes. A common mistake is making the right part too wide or forgetting the dot above 白 in 原. Keep the character balanced and the left side slightly narrower than the right.

Compared to 蜘 (zhī, spider) which has 知 on the right, or 蜚 (fēi, cockroach) with 非, 螈 uses 原 on the right. Visually, 原 has a clear 'factory' shape with 厂 at the top, while 知 has 矢 (arrow) and 口 (mouth), and 非 is like two wings.

螈 is not common in daily conversation but appears in biological or scientific contexts to name salamanders and newts, like 蝾螈 (róngyuán). It is rarely used alone; most people encounter it in textbooks or nature documentaries about amphibians.

Common words containing 螈 include: 蝾螈 (róng yuán) — Salamander; 陆螈 (lù yuán) — land salamander; 这种螈 (zhè zhǒng yuán) — This salamander....