Chinese symbol for “crab”
蟹
xiè
crab
The closest CC-CEDICT match for crab is 蟹 (xiè), defined as: crab.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “crab”
Related words
Other words that share a character with 蟹.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 螃蟹 | páng xiè | crab; 只 (zhī) |
| 河蟹 | hé xiè | river crab; Internet censorship (pun on "harmonious" 和谐 (hé xié), which is blocked by the great firewall of China) |
| 大闸蟹 (大閘蟹) | dà zhá xiè | Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis); Shanghai hairy crab |
| 蟹肉 | xiè ròu | crab meat |
| 寄居蟹 | jì jū xiè | hermit crab |
| 虾兵蟹将 (蝦兵蟹將) | xiā bīng xiè jiàng | shrimp soldiers and crab generals (in mythology or popular fiction, the army of the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea); useless troops (idiom) |
See also: Japanese symbol for “crab”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.