The Japanese Radical: 虫


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Meaning
insect    虫

Explanation The body 口 and the sting ム of an insect

Used in these characters:
JLPT 3Joyo 1
insect, worm
mushi, CHŪ

The body 口 and the sting ム of an insect.  
JLPT 4Joyo 2
strong
tsuyoi, shiiru, KYŌ, GŌ
Left: bow 弓, right: nose ム and insect 虫 (body 口 and sting ム of an insect)
To target with the bow the nose of an insect: That is strong!  
JLPT 4Joyo 2
wind, manner, style
kaze,
A sail 冂 and an insect 虫 (The additional stroke is the horizontal sail boom ノ)
The insect is blown into the sail by: the wind.  
JLPT 1Joyo 6
silkworm
kaiko, SAN
Top: sky/heaven 天, bottom: insect 虫 (body 口 and sting ム of an insect)
What a heavenly insect is: the silkworm!  
JLPT 1Joyo 5
species, genus, to belong to
ZOKU
Side-view of buttocks 尸 and 禹 (= accent ノ and insect 虫 with additional long legs 冂)
The rear part belongs to an insect with long legs - but which species?  
JLPT 2Joyo 5
alone, single, Germany
hitori, DOKU
Left: wild animal 犭(dog on hind legs), right: insect 虫 (body 口 and sting ム of an insect)
Such animals and insects exist only in Germany.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
mosquito
ka, BUN
Left: insect 虫 (body 口 and sting ム of an insect), right: text 文 (A folding table 文 for writing a text.)
The insect on the text is a mosquito. (It makes the sound: BUN)  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
foolish, idiot, folly
oroka, GU
Top: scorpion 禺 (image of a scorpion: with long tail: carapace 田, insect 虫, long legs 冂), below: heart 心
Who believes that a scorpion has a heart is foolish.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
accidentally, pair (like wife&husband)

Left: person 人, right: scorpion 禺 (pictograph of a scorpion: carapace 田, insect 虫, long legs 冂)
(At first they met 遇 with movements 辶) And then the person and the scorpion became accidentally a pair.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
meet, encounter, to handle, entertain, see, to deal with

Left: movement 辶, right: scorpion 禺 (pictograph of a scorpion: carapace 田 of the insect 虫 with long legs 冂)
(A mating/courtship ritual?) Movements of a scorpion to meet someone. (And then they 亻,禺 became accidentially a pair 偶)  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
corner, nook
sumi,
Left: hill 阝, right: scorpion 禺 (pictograph of a scorpion: combination of 田 for carapace, insect 虫, long legs 冂)
On the hill, there are scorpions in every corner.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
firefly, lightning bug
hotaru, KEI
From top: rays of light , cover 冖 (both as: crown ), insect 虫
Rays of light cover this insect: The firefly.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
cocoon (of the silkworm)
mayu, KEN
Top: plant 艹, below: cocoon 冂 with two chambers, inside: thread 糸 and insect 虫
Under a plant, the thread of an insect forms: A cocoon.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
snake, serpent
hebi, JA, DA
Left: insect 虫, right: 它 (roof 宀 [here: cave] and sitting person 匕)
The "insect" that rolls up in its cave like a sitting person, is: a snake.  
JLPT 2Joyo 7
touch, sensing, contact, feel
fureru, sawaru, SHOKU
Left: corner, horn 角, right: insect 虫
The "horns" (= antennas or feelers) of insects (i.e. snails) are for: touching and sensing.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
entrust, confidence, request, ask
SHOKU
Left: mouth 口, right: species, genus 属 (The rear part 尸 belongs to an insect 禹/虫 with long legs 冂, but which species?)
To the mouth of this species, it can be entrusted.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
impure, muddy/cloudy liquid, uncleanness
nigoru/su, DAKU
Left: water 氵, right: eye 罒, wrap 勹, insect 虫
If in the water the visibility is poor, such that insects appear as wrapped up it is impure/muddy. (But it clears 澄 up, because the (clean) water 氵rises 登)  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
noise, disturbance
sawagu/gashii,
Left: horse 馬 (mane 三 in the wind, four legs 灬 and tail フ), right: hand 又, insect 虫
A horse hit by a hand or stung by an insect makes: noise.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
barbarian, savage
BAN
Top: var. of red 赤 (When earth/clay 土 is burned in fire 灬, the pottery gets: red.), below: insect 虫
Like reddish insects are these barbarians.  
JLPT 1Joyo 7
dissolve, melt, merge
tokeru,
Left: 鬲 (image of a pot 口 with lid 一, on a stand 冂 with reinforcements), right: insect 虫
In the pot on the stand is an insect, but it is already dissolving.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
storm, hurricane
arashi,
From top: mountain 山, wind 風 (.. it pushes insects 虫 into the sail 冂 [The additional stroke is a sailing beam])
A 'mountain'-like wind is: a storm.  
JLPT -Joyo 7
rainbow
niji,
Left: insect 虫, right: craftsman, build 工
Insects actually build the rainbow?  
JLPT -Joyo 7
bee, wasp
hachi,
Left: insect 虫 (body 口 and sting ム of an insect), right: pointed, needle-shaped 夆 (When sitting cross-legged 夂 on the peak of a growing plant 丰, you feel it is pointed.)
Insects with pointed stings are bees. (Or: The insect sitting at the plant's top is the bee.)  
JLPT -Joyo 7
honey, nectar
MITSU
From top: roof 宀, certainly 必 (... is the heart 心 pierced by a lance ノ), insect 虫
Below that roof are certainly insects with honey.  

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

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