狼(láng) - wolf in Mandarin

狼 is the wolf, counted with 只 like other animals: 一只狼. The dog radical on the left tells you the category and 良 on the right is there for the sound, which is the commonest way Chinese characters are built.

Culturally the wolf is not the noble creature of some Western storytelling. In Chinese it stands for greed, cruelty and ingratitude, which is why 狼心狗肺 (a wolf's heart and a dog's lungs) means heartless, and 狼吞虎咽 (wolfing and tiger-gulping) means to eat like an animal. 白眼狼 is a bitter term for someone who repays kindness with betrayal.

Watch the tone. 狼 is second tone láng; 浪 (làng, wave) is fourth and 朗 (lǎng, bright) is third. All three share the 良 phonetic, so they look related on the page and are easy to blur in speech if you let the tone slide.