Snake = 蛇 [shé]

An astronaut on the moon holds an American flag, but a yellow flag with a coiled snake is already planted there, with a little snake on top of the pole. That is a 蛇.

蛇 (shé) means “snake.” The left side, 虫, is the “bug” radical, found in many characters for creatures. Count snakes with 条 (tiáo): 一条蛇.

蛇 is one of the twelve zodiac animals. The most recent Year of the Snake, 蛇年 (shé nián), began in January 2025.

我怕蛇。 — Wǒ pà shé. — I’m afraid of snakes.

草里有一条蛇！ — Cǎo lǐ yǒu yì tiáo shé! — There’s a snake in the grass!