蜇 (zhē): to sting, jellyfish

蜇 (zhē) is a Chinese character meaning “to sting.” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 折 (phonetic) and 虫 (semantic). It ranks #3815 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Etymologically derived, 蜇 mollusk. 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 insect13 strokesFrequency #3815折 phonetic 虫 semantic

Definitions

to sting
jellyfish

Etymology & Origin

蜇

pictophoneticmollusk

Decomposition: ⿱折虫 (layout: top-bottom)

Components:折phonetic 虫semantic

Stroke Order

Practice writing 蜇 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
海蜇	hǎi zhé	Rhopilema esculenta, an edible jellyfish

Total compounds

As first character

100

As last character

As middle character

蜇 appears in 1 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

少数派Sep 2026

还用树枝挑回来一根疑似海蜇触手。

hái yòng shù zhī tiāo huí lái yī gēn yí sì hǎi zhē chù shǒu .

He also used a twig to pick up what appeared to be a jellyfish tentacle.

中国新闻网·生活Aug 2026

台风前后蜂类攻击性增强！医生提醒：被蜇伤不能热敷

tái fēng qián hòu fēng lèi gōng jī xìng zēng qiáng ! yī shēng tí xǐng : bèi zhē shāng bù néng rè fū

Bees Become More Aggressive Before and After a Typhoon! Doctors Warn: Do Not Apply a Hot Compress to a Sting

中国新闻网·生活Aug 2026

近期，杭州市中医院皮肤科收治了多例被蜂蜇伤患者。

jìn qī , háng zhōu shì zhōng yī yuàn pí fū kē shōu zhì le duō lì bèi fēng zhē shāng huàn zhě .

Recently, the Dermatology Department at Hangzhou Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine has admitted several patients with bee stings.

中国新闻网·生活Aug 2026

水母蜇人可别摸海边常见蜇人水母包括海蜇、紫纹海蜇和箱水母。

shuǐ mǔ zhē rén kě bié mō hǎi biān cháng jiàn zhē rén shuǐ mǔ bāo kuò hǎi zhē , zǐ wén hǎi zhē hé xiāng shuǐ mǔ .

If you get stung by a jellyfish, don’t touch it. Common stinging jellyfish found near the beach include the Portuguese man-of-war, the purple-striped jellyfish, and the box jellyfish.

中国新闻网·生活Jul 2026

小暑：海蜇蔬菜卷消暑三伏天

xiǎo shǔ : hǎi zhē shū cài juǎn xiāo shǔ sān fú tiān

Minor Heat: Jellyfish and Vegetable Rolls to Beat the Heat During the Three Dog Days of Summer

Character Family

Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 虫 (mollusk) component

蛋dàn 蝙biān 蝠fú 蛇shé 蠢chǔn 蜜mì 蜂fēng 虹hóng 螺luó 蚕cán

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 蜇 (zhē) mean in Chinese?

蜇 (zhē) primarily means "to sting." It is not part of the HSK 3.0 syllabus. It ranks #3815 in character frequency.

What's the difference between 蜇 and 逝?

蜇 (zhē) and 逝 (shì) are often confused. confusable. The key distinguishing feature: 虫 vs 辶 (same 折 component).

How many strokes does 蜇 have?

蜇 is written with 13 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 蜇?

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

What are the components of 蜇?

蜇 is composed of: 折 (phonetic), 虫 (semantic). Its IDS decomposition is ⿱折虫 with a top-bottom layout. Understanding the components helps with both memorization and recognizing related characters.

What are common words containing 蜇?

Common words with 蜇 include: 海蜇 (hǎi zhé, "Rhopilema esculenta, an edible jellyfish"). There are over 1 compound words containing this character.

Is 蜇 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

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

Practice writing 蜇 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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