乐 meaning and stroke order
Happy; cheerful; to laugh
How to write 乐, stroke by stroke
5 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Meaning of 乐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- happy
- cheerful
- to laugh
- music
- used in place names
How 乐 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Simplified form of 樂, a musical instrument with wood 木, strings 幺, and a pick 白.
Radical: 丿 (slash), shared by 19 characters on this site.
How to remember 乐
乐 comes from 樂, a picture of a musical instrument: wood 木 for the frame, strings 幺, and a pick 白. Music makes people happy, so the same character means both music (yuè) and joy (lè).
Read it lè when it means happy or funny, as in 快乐 (kuàilè) and 可乐 (kělè), and yuè when it means music, as in 音乐 (yīnyuè) and 乐队 (yuèduì). As a verb, 乐 (lè) can also mean to laugh or be amused. Example: 生日快乐。(Shēngrì kuàilè.) Happy birthday.
Common mistake: Learners often read 音乐 as yīnlè. It is yīnyuè, because 乐 means music there. Also do not confuse the shape with 东 (dōng), which looks similar at a glance but has a different top.
Common words with 乐
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 音乐 | yīnyuè | music | HSK 2 |
| 快乐 | kuàilè | happy; joyful | HSK 2 |
| 音乐会 | yīnyuèhuì | concert | HSK 2 |
| 乐队 | yuèduì | band; pop group | HSK 3 |
| 欢乐 | huānlè | gaiety; gladness | HSK 3 |
| 可乐 | kělè | amusing; entertaining | HSK 3 |
| 乐观 | lèguān | optimistic; hopeful | HSK 3 |
| 乐趣 | lèqù | delight; pleasure; joy | HSK 4 |
| 俱乐部 | jùlèbù | (loanword) club (the organization or its premises) | HSK 5 |
| 娱乐 | yúlè | to entertain; to amuse | HSK 6 |
| 乐曲 | yuèqǔ | musical composition | HSK 6 |
| 乐意 | lèyì | to be willing to do sth; to be ready to do sth | HSK 7-9 |
| 乐园 | lèyuán | paradise | HSK 7-9 |
| 乐器 | yuèqì | musical instrument | HSK 7-9 |
乐 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 乐
Learning 乐 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 乐
How many strokes are in 乐?
乐 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 乐 mean?
乐 (lè) means happy; cheerful; to laugh. A common word with it is 音乐 (yīnyuè), meaning "music".
How do you pronounce 乐?
乐 is pronounced lè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 乐?
The radical of 乐 is 丿, which carries the idea of "slash". Dictionaries list 乐 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 乐?
The traditional form of 乐 is 樂. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 乐 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 乐 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 乐 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Why is 乐 pronounced lè in 快乐 but yuè in 音乐?
乐 is a character with two common readings tied to meaning. When it means joy or fun it is lè, and when it means music it is yuè. Check whether the word is about feeling or about sound.
Does 可乐 mean Coca-Cola?
Yes, in everyday speech 可乐 (kělè) usually means cola, as in 我要一杯可乐 (Wǒ yào yì bēi kělè), I want a cola. Its older meaning is amusing or funny, which you may see in written Chinese.