蛸 (shāo) - Octopus & also refers to certain types of insects or

蛸Tone 1

shāo ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

上姝

蛸 · shāo

Octopus;

also refers to certain types of insects or larvae, particularly mantis egg cases.

Octopusalso refers to certain types of insects or

Usage highlights

OctopusMantis egg caseOctopus ballsCuttlefishSquidMarine creature

Synonyms

  • 章鱼— Octopus (more common term)
  • 八爪鱼— Eight-armed fish (colloquial for octopus)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The octopus is a marine mollusk (章鱼).
  • Mantis egg cases are used in traditional medicine (桑螵蛸).
  • He ordered takoyaki, a Japanese octopus ball snack (章鱼烧).
  • The squid and octopus are both cephalopods (鱿鱼和章鱼).

Collocations

  • Octopus(章鱼)
  • Mantis egg case(桑螵蛸)
  • Octopus balls(章鱼烧)
  • Cuttlefish(墨鱼)
  • Squid(鱿鱼)
  • Marine creature(海洋生物)

Idioms

  • No specific common idioms featuring 蛸 alone

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese medicine, mantis egg cases (桑螵蛸) are used for various health purposes.
  • Octopus appears in coastal cuisine across East Asia, particularly in Japanese takoyaki.
  • The character combines the insect radical with the sound component 肖.

FAQ