乱 meaning and stroke order
In confusion or disorder; in a confused state of mind; disorder
How to write 乱, stroke by stroke
7 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
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 乱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- in confusion or disorder
- in a confused state of mind
- disorder
- upheaval
- riot
- illicit sexual relations
How 乱 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 乚 (secret), shared by 9 characters on this site.
How to remember 乱
乱 is built from 舌 (shé, tongue) on the left and a hooked stroke 乚 on the right. Picture a tongue wagging out of control, twisting like that hook, and the talk turns into chaos.
乱 works as an adjective meaning messy or chaotic, and as an adverb before verbs meaning carelessly or at random, as in 乱说 (luàn shuō, talk nonsense) or 乱跑 (luàn pǎo, run around). Example: 你的房间太乱了。(Nǐ de fángjiān tài luàn le.) Your room is too messy.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left part as 古 or 吉 instead of 舌, which has a slanted stroke on top and 口 at the bottom. Also keep the fourth tone luàn, not the third tone of 卵 (luǎn, egg).
Common words with 乱
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 混乱 | hùnluàn | confused; chaotic; disorderly | HSK 6 |
| 乱七八糟 | luànqībāzāo | (idiom) chaotic; in disorder; muddled | HSK 7-9 |
| 捣乱 | dǎoluàn | to disturb; to look for trouble | HSK 7-9 |
| 扰乱 | rǎoluàn | to disturb; to perturb | HSK 7-9 |
| 胡思乱想 | húsī-luànxiǎng | (idiom) to indulge in flights of fancy; to let one's imagination run wild | HSK 7-9 |
| 骚乱 | sāoluàn | disturbance; riot; to create a disturbance | HSK 7-9 |
| 霍乱 | huòluàn | cholera | HSK 7-9 |
| 紊乱 | wěnluàn | disorder; chaos | HSK 7-9 |
| 慌乱 | huāngluàn | frenetic; hurried | HSK 7-9 |
| 忙乱 | mángluàn | rushed and muddled | HSK 7-9 |
| 杂乱无章 | záluàn-wúzhāng | disordered and in a mess (idiom); all mixed up and chaotic | HSK 7-9 |
| 乱来 | luànlái | to act recklessly; to mess around | |
| 乱动 | luàndòng | to fiddle with; to tamper with | |
| 乱跑 | luànpǎo | to run around; to run about aimlessly |
乱 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 乱
How many strokes are in 乱?
乱 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 乱 mean?
乱 (luàn) means in confusion or disorder; in a confused state of mind; disorder. A common word with it is 混乱 (hùnluàn), meaning "confused; chaotic; disorderly".
How do you pronounce 乱?
乱 is pronounced luàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 乱?
The radical of 乱 is 乚, which carries the idea of "secret". Dictionaries list 乱 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 乱?
The traditional form of 乱 is 亂. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 乱 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 乱 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 乱 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
How do I say "don't do something carelessly" with 乱?
Put 别 (bié) or 不要 (bú yào) before 乱 and a verb. For example, 别乱花钱 (bié luàn huā qián) means "don't waste money" and 不要乱扔垃圾 (bú yào luàn rēng lājī) means "don't litter."
What is the difference between 乱 and 混乱 (hùnluàn)?
乱 is short and everyday, used for rooms, hair, or careless actions. 混乱 is more formal and usually describes situations, systems, or a state of mind, such as 交通混乱 (jiāotōng hùnluàn, traffic chaos).