Chinese word

蜘蛛

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhī zhū

Meaning

  • nounspider

Example

这是一只蜘蛛。zhè shì yì zhī zhī zhū

This is a spider.

Illustration for 蜘蛛 (spider)

More examples

墙角有一只蜘蛛。qiáng jiǎo yǒu yì zhī zhī zhū

There is a spider in the corner of the wall.

Core concept

An eight-legged animal that catches small creatures with silk or by moving across the ground.

Common phrases

  • 一只蜘蛛yì zhī zhī zhū

    a spider

  • 蜘蛛网zhī zhū wǎng

    spider web

Similar words

昆虫kūn chóng: A small six-legged animal with a body divided into parts, often with wings.

Definition in Chinese

一种有八条腿、会结网或在地面捕食小虫的节肢动物。yì zhǒng yǒu bā tiáo tuǐ huì jié wǎng huò zài dì miàn bǔ shí xiǎo chóng de jié zhī dòng wù

Word origin

蜘蛛 (zhīzhū, "spider") uses 虫 (chóng, "insect") in both characters to suggest the meaning, while 知 (zhī, "know") and 朱 (zhū, "red") suggest the two sounds.

Usage tips

  • The superhero Spider-Man is called 蜘蛛侠 (zhīzhūxiá, "Spider-Man") in Chinese, making this animal word part of a familiar character name.

Word lists with this word