How to Write 猪 (zhū) — Meaning “pig”

Imagine a little pig standing up on its hind legs — the left part 犭 looks like its body and legs, and the right part 者 looks like its snout and ears. This visual trick helps you recall that the character means "pig".

Pay special attention to the right side 者: it has a horizontal stroke under the 土-like shape, and the 日 below is narrow. A common mistake is making the right part too wide; keep it balanced so the whole character looks compact.

猪 means pig, while 狊 (jú) means "to stare" and 狠 (hěn) means "cruel" or "very". Visually, 猪 has 者 on the right, 狊 has 目 (eye) under 犬, and 狠 has 艮 (gèn) on the right. Always check the right component to avoid confusion.

猪 is used in words like 猪肉 (pork) and 小猪 (piglet). In Chinese culture, the Pig is the twelfth animal of the Chinese zodiac, so people say 属猪 to mean someone was born in the Year of the Pig, which is considered lucky and associated with wealth.

Common words containing 猪 include: 猪肉 (zhū ròu) — pork; 小猪 (xiǎo zhū) — piglet; 属猪 (shǔ zhū) — born in the year of the Pig.