蛤

gé, há

合 + 虫

Definitions

gé (bound form) clam; used in 蛤蚧[gé jiè]

há used in 蛤蟆[há ma]

Etymology

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

Semantic: 虫 Phonetic: 合

About

蛤 (gé / há) is a phono-semantic compound combining the insect radical 虫 (chóng), a broad classifier for lower animals and invertebrates, with the phonetic 合 (hé). When pronounced gé, it refers to bivalve mollusks, particularly hard-shelled clams and oysters found in both marine and freshwater habitats, as in 蛤蜊 (clam). With the reading há, it becomes a bound morpheme for amphibians, appearing only in 蛤蟆 (toad or frog). This dual pronunciation and meaning show how the character was adapted to group completely different cold-blooded creatures under the insect radical for phonetic convenience.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

海滩上有蛤蜊。

Hǎitān shàng yǒu gé lí.

There are clams on the beach.

蛤蟆喜欢下雨天。

Há ma xǐhuān xià yǔ tiān.

Toads like rainy days.

妈妈煮了蛤蜊汤。

Māma zhǔ le gé lí tāng.

Mom cooked clam soup.

弟弟害怕绿色的蛤蟆。

Dìdi hàipà lǜsè de há ma.

Younger brother is afraid of green toads.

我们在市场买了新鲜蛤蜊。

Wǒmen zài shìchǎng mǎi le xīnxiān gé lí.

We bought fresh clams at the market.

蛤蟆的叫声在夜晚很响亮。

Há ma de jiào shēng zài yèwǎn hěn xiǎngliàng.

The croaking of toads is very loud at night.

厨师用蛤蜊做了美味的意大利面。

Chúshī yòng gé lí zuò le měiwèi de Yìdàlì miàn.

The chef made delicious pasta with clams.

研究显示蛤蜊对海洋生态系统很重要。

Yánjiū xiǎnshì gé lí duì hǎiyáng shēngtài xìtǒng hěn zhòngyào.

Research shows that clams are important to the marine ecosystem.

Related Characters

Component: 合

Component: 虫

蛤