熊
Simplified 熊
Chinese character for bear: 熊 (xióng)
The Chinese character for bear is 熊 (xióng). It means bear and appears in 熊猫 (xióngmāo, panda) and 北极熊 (běijíxióng, polar bear). It is also a surname, Xiong.
How 熊 is built
熊 has 能 (néng) on top and four dots 灬 below. 能 was originally the picture of a bear itself, with its head, body and claws, but it was borrowed to mean 'able, can'. The four dots, a form of fire 火 or, as a memory aid, the bear's paws, were added to make 熊 for 'bear'. It is identical in simplified and traditional Chinese.
熊 xióng · bear
- 能néng — can
- 厶sī — private
- ⺼ — meat
- 匕bǐ — spoon
- 乚 — hook stroke
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 匕bǐ — spoon
- 乚 — hook stroke
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 灬huǒ — fire
How 熊 is used
熊猫xióngmāopanda
北极熊běijíxióngpolar bear
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 熊 is identical in both scripts; in slang it can mean 'timid', but alone it is read as bear.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for bear?
熊 (xióng) means “bear”.
How do you pronounce 熊?
熊 is pronounced xióng.