蟿

acrida chinensis

Strokes19

Readings

On'yomi

ケイ
キ

Kun'yomi

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Meaning

蟿 refers to a specific insect, Acrida chinensis, a type of grasshopper. Its meaning is narrow and does not extend to broader concepts.

Study

Etymology

蟿 is a phono-semantic compound: 虫 (insect) provides the meaning, and 毄 (ケイ) likely contributes the sound. The exact historical development of the character is uncertain.

Meaning mnemonic

The insect radical 虫 at the bottom marks this as a bug. The complex upper part 毄 can be imagined as a grasshopper's long legs and segmented body, making 蟿 the specific grasshopper Acrida chinensis.

Reading mnemonic

For ケイ, picture a grasshopper leaping onto a cake: cake -> ケイ, and the insect lands right on top.