鳗 (mán) — eel (bound form, used in compounds like 鳗鱼)

Definition

Bound form used only in compounds, almost always 鳗鱼 (eel). By itself it is not a standalone word.

bound form

eel (bound form, used in compounds like 鳗鱼)

Easily confused

。
Wǒ zuó tiān chī le yì wǎn mán yú fàn.
I ate a bowl of eel rice yesterday.
。
Zhè jiā diàn de pú shāo mán yú fēi cháng hǎo chī.
The grilled eel at this restaurant is very delicious.
，。
Rì běn liào lǐ zhōng, mán yú shì yì zhǒng cháng jiàn de shí cái.
In Japanese cuisine, eel is a common ingredient.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鰻; 鳗 is its simplified writing.

魚曼鰻

Meaning part形符xíngfú

魚魚yúfish

Sound part声符shēngfú

曼

Same sound today

In the traditional form 鰻, the left side 魚 shows it is a kind of fish, and the right side 曼 gives the sound. The simplified 鳗 is a later shorthand.