猩

Tap the pinyin to hear it

ape

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

犭 meaning “animal” + 星 sound ( xīng )

Components 犭星

orangutan · Heisig RSH #2573

pack of wild dogs + 星 star

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
猩红色	xīng hóng sè	scarlet (color)
猩红热	xīng hóng rè	scarlet fever
猩化	xīng huà	(slang) (of a dialect) to be corrupted by Standard Mandarin
猩红	xīng hóng	scarlet
大猩猩	dà xīng xing	gorilla
黑猩猩	hēi xīng xing	common chimpanzee
倭黑猩猩	wō hēi xīng xing	bonobo; pygmy chimpanzee
猩猩	xīng xing	orangutan; (slang) dialect speaker whose speech is corrupted by Standard Mandarin

Characters sharing the sound component 星 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
星 sound part	xīng	star, planet; a point of light
醒	xǐng	to wake up, to startle; to sober up
腥	xīng	fishy, rank; raw meat
戥	děng	a steelyard balance for weighing money