蟆

蟇

má

莫 + 虫

Definitions

má (noun) toad

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 莫 represents the sound. Simplified form of 蟇.

Semantic: 虫 Phonetic: 莫

About

蟆 is a phono-semantic compound combining the radical 虫, which categorizes insects, amphibians, and crawling creatures, with the phonetic 莫 (normally meaning 'none' but here simply indicating the sound). It is the simplified form of 蟇. The character denotes a toad, rarely used alone, and appears almost exclusively in the compound 蛤蟆 (the common colloquial term for frogs and toads). Classifying an amphibian under the 'insect' radical reflects pre-modern Chinese taxonomy, which grouped many small non-mammalian, non-avian animals into a single broad category.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我看见一只蛤蟆。

Wǒ kànjiàn yī zhī háma.

I see a toad.

蛤蟆在草地上跳。

Háma zài cǎodì shàng tiào.

The toad is jumping on the grass.

小孩子害怕蛤蟆。

Xiǎo háizi hàipà háma.

Children are afraid of toads.

昨天我听到蛤蟆叫。

Zuótiān wǒ tīng dào háma jiào.

Yesterday I heard a toad croaking.

因为下雨，蛤蟆出来了。

Yīnwèi xià yǔ, háma chūlái le.

Because it rained, the toads came out.

蛤蟆比青蛙皮肤粗糙。

Háma bǐ qīngwā pífū cūcāo.

Toads have rougher skin than frogs.

我看到蛤蟆跳进水里，然后消失了。

Wǒ kàndào háma tiào jìn shuǐ lǐ, ránhòu xiāoshī le.

I saw the toad jump into the water and then disappear.

尽管蛤蟆外表丑陋，但它能捕捉害虫。

Jǐnguǎn háma wàibiǎo chǒulòu, dàn tā néng bǔzhuō hàichóng.

Although toads are ugly in appearance, they can catch pests.

Related Characters

Component: 莫

Component: 虫

蟆