蚪

dǒu
斗 + 虫

Definitions

dǒu used in 蝌蚪[kē dǒu]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 斗 represents the sound.

Semantic: 虫 Phonetic: 斗

About

蚪 is a phonosemantic compound character used exclusively in the disyllabic word 蝌蚪 (kēdǒu), which refers to the tadpole, the aquatic larva of frogs and toads. The component 虫 on the left acts as a semantic radical, historically grouping together insects, reptiles, amphibians, and various small crawling animals, and marking the character's membership in this broad biological category. On the right, 斗 serves as the phonetic component, indicating the syllable dǒu without contributing any meaning. Because this character is fully restricted to the compound 蝌蚪, it never appears in isolation and has developed no extended, figurative, or abstract senses in standard usage.

Example Sentences Hide

池塘里有小蝌蚪。

Chí táng lǐ yǒu xiǎo kē dǒu.

There are little tadpoles in the pond.

孩子们在看蝌蚪游泳。

Hái zi men zài kàn kē dǒu yóu yǒng.

The children are watching the tadpoles swim.

黑色的蝌蚪长出了后腿。

Hēi sè de kē dǒu zhǎng chū le hòu tuǐ.

The black tadpole has grown hind legs.

蝌蚪是青蛙的幼体阶段。

Kē dǒu shì qīng wā de yòu tǐ jiē duàn.

Tadpoles are the larval stage of frogs.

这些蝌蚪很快就会变成青蛙。

Zhè xiē kē dǒu hěn kuài jiù huì biàn chéng qīng wā.

These tadpoles will soon turn into frogs.

我们观察了蝌蚪的发育过程。

Wǒ men guān chá le kē dǒu de fā yù guò chéng.

We observed the development process of the tadpoles.

生物课上我们学习了蝌蚪的变态。

Shēng wù kè shàng wǒ men xué xí le kē dǒu de biàn tài.

In biology class, we learned about the metamorphosis of tadpoles.

在清澈的溪流中，成群的小蝌蚪摇摆着尾巴。

Zài qīng chè de xī liú zhōng, chéng qún de xiǎo kē dǒu yáo bǎi zhe wěi ba.

In the clear stream, groups of little tadpoles are swaying their tails.

Related Characters

Component: 斗

科 料 斗 抖 斜 魁 斟 斡 斛 钭 戽 閗 呌 斚

Component: 虫

虽 独 触 融 虫 蛋 蛇 蜂 蜜 蛮 虹 蝶 螺 蚁

Example Words

蝌蚪