亂 meaning and stroke order
Anarchy, chaos; revolt
How to write 亂, stroke by stroke
13 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 亂
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- in confusion or disorder
- in a confused state of mind
- disorder
- upheaval
- riot
- illicit sexual relations
How 亂 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A kneeling person 乚 using their hands 爫 to unravel a knot.
Radical: 乚 (secret), shared by 9 characters on this site.
How to remember 亂
Picture hands 爫 at the top and 又 below, working at a tangled knot of thread in the middle, while a kneeling person 乚 waits at the side. When the threads are this tangled, everything is in chaos, which is 亂 (luàn).
亂 is the traditional form of 乱, and it means messy, disordered, or chaotic. As an adverb before a verb it also means doing something carelessly or at random, as in 乱说 (luàn shuō, to talk nonsense). Example: 你的房間太亂了。(Nǐ de fángjiān tài luàn le.) Your room is too messy.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 亂 with 辭 (cí), which shares the same tangled left side but has 辛 on the right instead of 乚. Also keep the fourth tone: luàn falls sharply and should not be said like 卵 (luǎn, egg).
Common words with 亂
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 混亂 | hùnluàn | confused; chaotic; disorderly | HSK 6 |
| 亂七八糟 | luànqībāzāo | (idiom) chaotic; in disorder; muddled | HSK 7-9 |
| 搗亂 | dǎoluàn | to disturb; to look for trouble | HSK 7-9 |
| 擾亂 | rǎoluàn | to disturb; to perturb | HSK 7-9 |
| 胡思亂想 | húsī-luànxiǎng | (idiom) to indulge in flights of fancy; to let one's imagination run wild | HSK 7-9 |
| 騷亂 | sāoluàn | disturbance; riot; to create a disturbance | HSK 7-9 |
| 霍亂 | huòluàn | cholera | HSK 7-9 |
| 紊亂 | wěnluàn | disorder; chaos | HSK 7-9 |
| 慌亂 | huāngluàn | frenetic; hurried | HSK 7-9 |
| 忙亂 | mángluàn | rushed and muddled | HSK 7-9 |
| 雜亂無章 | záluàn-wúzhāng | disordered and in a mess (idiom); all mixed up and chaotic | HSK 7-9 |
| 亂來 | luànlái | to act recklessly; to mess around | |
| 亂動 | luàndòng | to fiddle with; to tamper with | |
| 亂跑 | luànpǎo | to run around; to run about aimlessly |
Questions about 亂
How many strokes are in 亂?
亂 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 亂 mean?
亂 (luàn) means anarchy, chaos; revolt. A common word with it is 混乱 (hùnluàn), meaning "confused; chaotic; disorderly".
How do you pronounce 亂?
亂 is pronounced luàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 亂?
The radical of 亂 is 乚, which carries the idea of "secret". Dictionaries list 亂 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 亂?
亂 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 乱, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 乱 mean before a verb, like 乱买 or 乱跑?
It means doing the action carelessly, randomly, or without permission. 别乱跑 (bié luàn pǎo) means do not run around, and 乱买东西 (luàn mǎi dōngxi) means to buy things on impulse.
What is the difference between 乱 and 混乱?
乱 is the everyday word for messy, used for rooms, hair, or thoughts. 混乱 (hùnluàn) is more formal and usually describes larger situations, such as a chaotic scene or a confused system.