Definitions

used in 猢猻|猢狲[hú sūn]

Etymology phono-semantic

animal

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character is a phono-semantic compound that denotes a macaque or monkey and appears almost exclusively in the compound word 猢狲 (húsūn). Its construction joins the animal radical , which categorizes it among beasts, with the phonetic component (hú) indicating pronunciation. 猢狲 is a colloquial and somewhat literary term; when used metaphorically for people, particularly children, it conveys a playful or slightly derogatory sense of being hyperactive or mischievous.