About
The character 蛞 (kuò) is a phono-semantic compound referring to slugs and similar mollusks. It combines the semantic radical 虫 (chóng), which denotes insects and other small creatures, with 舌 (shé, tongue) as the phonetic component. While 舌 primarily indicates pronunciation, some etymological views note a semantic link, as a slug's soft, flexible body resembles a tongue. This character is most commonly found in the binomial term 蛞蝓 (kuòyú), the standard zoological name for a slug.