龙
lóng · HSK 3
dragon
🐉 sounds like 'long' — a long serpentine dragon
The character 龙 is the simplified form of 龍, the ancient pictograph of a horned, coiling dragon. Mandarin lóng is a handy sound-alike: the English word 'long' matches the dragon's stretched, snaking body.
龙 — simplified form of 龍; phonetic-pictographic
龙 is the simplified form of the traditional 龍, an ancient pictograph depicting a serpentine dragon with a crested head, scaly body, and curling tail. In oracle bone script it was clearly drawn as a mythical reptile. The character has always meant 'dragon', a powerful and auspicious creature in Chinese culture.