蚁 (yǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “ant”. It is written from 虫 (insect; bug; worm) and 义 (justice; meaning), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “ant”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
虫 + 义
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形笔画核验（第1–6笔与「虫」逐笔一致，第7–9笔与「义」逐笔一致）
Memory aid
A bug (虫) carrying 义 on its back. Both parts really are in this character: the bug tells you what it is, and 义 (yì) tells you roughly how it sounds — yǐ.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 蚂蚁mǎ yǐant蚁 = yǐspoken asmá yǐ
- 白蚁bái yǐtermite蚁 = yǐ
Go deeper
All readings
ant
ant
蚂蚁，一种成群生活、会分工的小昆虫。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 蚂蚁mǎ yǐant蚁 = yǐspoken asmá yǐ
- 白蚁bái yǐtermite蚁 = yǐ
Sound component
义 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 蚁 mean?
蚁 (yǐ) means ant.
How do you pronounce 蚁?
It is pronounced yǐ.
What parts is 蚁 made of?
虫 (insect; bug; worm) and 义 (justice; meaning), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形笔画核验（第1–6笔与「虫」逐笔一致，第7–9笔与「义」逐笔一致）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 蚁 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 蚁?
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 蚁?
Common ones are 蚂蚁 and 白蚁. The reading of 蚁 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.