蛎 (lì): oyster

Meanings

这家店的招牌菜是蚵仔煎。

Zhè jiā diàn de zhāopáicài shì ézǎijiān.

This restaurant's signature dish is oyster omelette.

牡蛎富含锌。

Mǔlì fùhán xīn.

Oysters are rich in zinc.

usage

蛎 appears almost only in 牡蛎 (oyster), the standard word in cooking and biology.

radical

虫 chóng

insect; small creature

The 虫 radical on the left also covers shellfish and other small creatures, fitting the oyster.

phonetic

厉 lì

stern; severe

On the right 厉 supplies the sound exactly, with no shift. It serves purely as the phonetic element.

蛎 lì