螋 (sōu): (in 蠼螋) an earwig

Meanings

蠼螋喜欢潮湿阴暗的地方。

Qúsōu xǐhuan cháoshī yīn'àn de dìfang.

Earwigs like damp, dark places.

昨晚我在浴室角落发现一只蠼螋。

Zuówǎn wǒ zài yùshì jiǎoluò fāxiàn yì zhī qúsōu.

I found an earwig in the bathroom corner last night.

usage

螋 never stands alone. It pairs with 蠼 to make 蠼螋, the earwig, a small insect with rear pincers that hides in damp dark spots.

radical

虫 chóng

insect; bug

虫 is the insect radical, here left-side. It marks 螋 as a small bug, the second half of the earwig's name.

phonetic

叟 sǒu

old man; phonetic element

叟 gives the sound, shifted from sǒu to sōu. Its meaning 'old man' is unrelated; it works only as the phonetic beside the insect radical.

螋 sōu