蟵

蟵 is a rare historical character used in the Japanese spider spelling 蜘蟵. It is usually encountered as part of that two-character word, not by itself.

Japanese dictionary entries read the compound ちちゅう, while the same characters stand for くも in an older text. Mandarin references give 蟵 the pinyin reading chú, approximately “choo” with a rising tone. The reading depends on the language and source.

How was 蟵 used in an early text?

An eighth-century poem writes “spider” as 蜘蟵.

The Man’yōshū is an eighth-century anthology of Japanese poetry. In a passage built around sound-play, 蜘蟵 represents くも, the spoken Japanese word for spider. The compound writes the word by sound; it is not a picture of the animal.

How should I write “spider” in modern Japanese?

Use 蜘蛛 for ordinary modern Japanese writing. Keep 蟵 for quoting 蜘蟵, reading an older text, or discussing the spelling. Alone in an informal Japanese message, 蟵 can look like a rare character citation rather than a clear word for spider.