虾 (xiā) is a Chinese character meaning “shrimp”. It is written from 虫 (insect; bug; worm) and 下 (down; below), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “shrimp”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
虫 + 下
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：9 画 = 虫 6 画 + 下 3 画；部首取康熙 142 虫部；声符档位只依据实测现代读音（下 xià / 虾 xiā 声母韵母相同、声调不同）
Memory aid
A small creature (虫) with 下 on the right carrying the sound. Picture it hiding down below on the sea floor, flicking its tail — that is the shrimp.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 龙虾lóng xiālobster虾 = xiā
- 虾仁xiā rénshelled shrimp; shrimp meat虾 = xiā
Go deeper
All readings
shrimp
shrimp; prawn
生活在水中的节肢动物，身体细长有壳，腹部可弯曲，可食用。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 龙虾lóng xiālobster虾 = xiā
- 虾仁xiā rénshelled shrimp; shrimp meat虾 = xiā
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 虾 mean?
虾 (xiā) means shrimp; prawn.
How do you pronounce 虾?
It is pronounced xiā.
What parts is 虾 made of?
虫 (insect; bug; worm) and 下 (down; below), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：9 画 = 虫 6 画 + 下 3 画；部首取康熙 142 虫部；声符档位只依据实测现代读音（下 xià / 虾 xiā 声母韵母相同、声调不同）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 虾 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 虾?
虫. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 虾?
Common ones are 龙虾 and 虾仁. The reading of 虾 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.