How to Write 崽 (zǎi) — Meaning “Cub / pup / young animal”

Imagine a cute cub sitting on top of a mountain (山), and you stop to think (思) 'how adorable!' This mental picture connects the mountain shape at the top with the 'thinking' component below. It helps link the visual form to the meaning of a young animal.

Write the top 山 narrow and centered, then the middle 田 (field) should be slightly wider, and finally the bottom 心 (heart) must be curved and not too flat. A common mistake is making the heart radical too wide, which throws off balance. Practice the stroke order: 山 (3 strokes), then 田 (5 strokes), then 心 (4 strokes).

崽 has 山 on top and 思 (think) below, meaning 'cub' or 'young animal'. 峨 has 山 on the left and 我 (I) on the right, meaning 'lofty' or 'high mountain'. 峪 has 山 on top and 谷 (valley) below, meaning 'valley'. Visually, the bottom part is the key difference: 崽 uses 思, 峨 uses 我, and 峪 uses 谷.

崽 is used in everyday spoken Chinese for baby animals, like 猪崽 (piglet) or 狗崽 (puppy). It can also be used playfully or even rudely for a child, as in 小崽子 (little brat). Be careful with tone, as calling someone 崽子 can be insulting depending on context.

Common words containing 崽 include: 猪崽 (zhū zǎi) — piglet; 狗崽 (gǒu zǎi) — Puppy; 崽子 (zǎi zi) — Cub / brat.