蚴 (yòu): larva

蚴 (yòu) is a Chinese character meaning “larva.” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 虫 (structural) and 幼 (structural). It ranks #5387 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Etymologically derived, 蚴 an immature 幼 insect 虫; 幼 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 虫 (insect) appears in many related characters such as 虫 (chóng, insect), 蛇 (shé, snake), 蛋 (dàn, egg).

Spoken pronunciation

Radical: 虫 insect11 strokesFrequency #5387虫 structural 幼 structural

Definitions

larva

Etymology & Origin

蚴

ideographicAn immature 幼 insect 虫; 幼 also provides the pronunciation

Decomposition: ⿰虫幼 (layout: left-right)

Components:虫structural 幼structural

Stroke Order

Practice writing 蚴 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.

Words & Compounds

Common Compounds

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
毛蚴	máo yòu	ciliated larva
尾蚴noun	wěi yòu	tailed larva

Total compounds

As first character

100

As last character

As middle character

蚴 appears in 2 compound words: 0 as the first character, 100 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Example Sentences

中国新闻网·生活Oct 2026

孕妇不宜多吃螃蟹体内可能携带肺吸虫囊蚴，若未彻底煮熟存在感染风险。

yùn fù bù yí duō chī páng xiè tǐ nèi kě néng xié dài fèi xī chóng náng yòu , ruò wèi chè dǐ zhǔ shú cún zài gǎn rǎn fēng xiǎn .

Pregnant women should avoid eating too many crabs. Crabs may carry lung fluke cysts, and if not thoroughly cooked, there is a risk of infection.

中国新闻网·生活Jul 2026

处理水产后，用肥皂流水洗手，避免手上残留的囊蚴入口。

chǔ lǐ shuǐ chǎn hòu , yòng féi zào liú shuǐ xǐ shǒu , bì miǎn shǒu shàng cán liú de náng yòu rù kǒu .

After handling seafood, wash your hands with soap and running water to prevent any remaining cysts on your hands from entering your mouth.

Character Family

虫 Radical Family — Characters sharing the insect radical

虽suī 蛋dàn 融róng 虫chóng 蛇shé 蜂fēng 虹hóng 蜡là 虾xiā 蚊wén

Related Characters

虫chóng 蛇shé 蛋dàn 蜂fēng 蚊wén 虾xiā 蜡là 融róng 虽suī 虹hóng

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 蚴 (yòu) mean in Chinese?

蚴 (yòu) primarily means "larva." It is not part of the HSK 3.0 syllabus. It ranks #5387 in character frequency.

How many strokes does 蚴 have?

蚴 is written with 11 strokes. The correct stroke order matters for recognition and handwriting speed — practice with the animated guide above to build proper technique.

What is the radical of 蚴?

The radical associated with 蚴 is 虫 (insect). This radical appears in many characters related to insect.

What are the components of 蚴?

蚴 is composed of: 虫 (structural), 幼 (structural). Its IDS decomposition is ⿰虫幼 with a left-right layout. Understanding the components helps with both memorization and recognizing related characters.

What are common words containing 蚴?

Common words with 蚴 include: 毛蚴 (máo yòu, "ciliated larva"); 尾蚴 (wěi yòu, "tailed larva"). There are over 2 compound words containing this character.

Is 蚴 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

Yes, 蚴 is written the same way in both simplified and traditional Chinese.

Practice writing 蚴 with real-time feedback

Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.

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