蛀 (zhù) is a Chinese character meaning “(of insects) to bore into and eat wood, cloth, books, etc”. It is written from 虫 (insect; bug; worm) and 主 (master; owner; host), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to bore into; to eat away”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
虫 + 主
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：笔画 0–5 为「虫」6 笔，笔画 6–10 与「主」5 笔逐笔对应，6+5=11 笔）
Memory aid
A bug (虫) that moves in and makes itself the master (主) of your wooden table or your tooth — slowly eating it hollow from the inside.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 蛀牙zhù yátooth decay; cavity蛀 = zhù
- 蛀虫zhù chóngwood-boring insect; moth; (figurative) parasite on society蛀 = zhù
Go deeper
All readings
to bore into; to eat away
(of insects) to bore into and eat wood, cloth, books, etc.; to eat away; moth-eaten, decayed
虫子咬食木器、衣物、书籍等；也指被侵蚀、蛀坏。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 蛀牙zhù yátooth decay; cavity蛀 = zhù
- 蛀虫zhù chóngwood-boring insect; moth; (figurative) parasite on society蛀 = zhù
Sound component
主 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 蛀 mean?
蛀 (zhù) means (of insects) to bore into and eat wood, cloth, books, etc.; to eat away; moth-eaten, decayed.
How do you pronounce 蛀?
It is pronounced zhù.
What parts is 蛀 made of?
虫 (insect; bug; worm) and 主 (master; owner; host), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：笔画 0–5 为「虫」6 笔，笔画 6–10 与「主」5 笔逐笔对应，6+5=11 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 蛀 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 蛀?
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 蛀?
Common ones are 蛀牙 and 蛀虫. The reading of 蛀 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.