螺

luó
累 + 虫

Definitions

luó (noun) snail; spiral shell; conch

Etymology phono-semantic

insect

Semantic: 虫 Phonetic: 累

About

The character 螺 (luó) is a phono-semantic compound formed by the semantic radical 虫 (chóng) and the phonetic component 累 (lèi). The radical 虫 indicates insects, worms, and other crawling creatures. Originally, 螺 denoted a snail, a conch, or any similar mollusk with a spiral shell, which fell under the broad category of the insect radical. Over time, the distinctive twisted shell shape gave rise to an extended, geometric meaning: anything with a spiral, whorled, or helical structure, like screws, fingerprints, and winding architectural features.

Example Sentences Hide

螺丝掉在地上了。

Luósī diào zài dìshàng le.

The screw fell on the ground.

他用螺丝刀拧螺丝。

Tā yòng luósīdāo nǐng luósī.

He uses a screwdriver to tighten the screw.

螺旋楼梯很漂亮。

Luóxuán lóutī hěn piàoliang.

The spiral staircase is very beautiful.

妈妈炒了一盘螺蛳。

Māma chǎo le yī pán luósī.

Mom stir-fried a plate of river snails.

螺母和螺栓要配套。

Luómǔ hé luóshuān yào pèitào.

Nuts and bolts must be matched.

这种螺壳有黑白条纹。

Zhè zhǒng luóké yǒu hēi bái tiáowén.

This kind of snail shell has black and white stripes.

直升机依靠螺旋桨起飞。

Zhíshēngjī yīkào luóxuánjiǎng qǐfēi.

Helicopters rely on propellers to take off.

工程师设计了新型螺旋装置。

Gōngchéngshī shèjì le xīnxíng luóxuán zhuāngzhì.

The engineer designed a new type of spiral device.

Related Characters

Component: 累

骡 摞 嫘 漯 缧 瘰 騾 蔂 磥 樏 縲

Component: 虫

虽 独 触 融 虫 蛋 蛇 蜂 蜜 蛮 虹 蝶 蚁 烛

Example Words

海螺 田螺 螺旋 螺丝 陀螺 碧螺春 螺旋桨 螺旋藻 螺栓 螺母 螺纹 螺丝刀 螺丝粉 螺丝钉 螺蛳 螺蛳粉 陀螺仪 鹦鹉螺 螺帽 螺旋形 螺旋体 螺旋面 螺杆 螺丝帽