蠕
crawling of a worm
Strokes20
Readings
On'yomi
- ゼン
- ダ
- ネン
- ジュ
- ニュ
Kun'yomi
- うごめ.く
Meaning
蠕 centers on slow, wriggling movement like that of a worm or similar creature. The given meaning 'crawling of a worm' captures this idea of creeping, squirming motion.
Most common words using 蠕
Study
Etymology
蠕 combines 虫 (insect/worm) with 需, which likely contributes the sound. The character is used for wriggling or crawling movement, especially of worms.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 虫 is a worm, and the right side 需 looks like a wriggling shape with a rain hat 雨 over a soft body 而. Picture a worm squirming under a leaf after rain.
Reading mnemonic
For ゼン, imagine a zen garden where a single worm crawls slowly across the raked sand: zen -> ゼン, and the worm's creeping motion fits the calm scene.