刘 meaning and stroke order
To kill, to destroy; surname
How to write 刘, stroke by stroke
6 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 刘
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (classical) a type of battle-ax
- to kill
- to slaughter
How 刘 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Knife.
刂 gives the meaning and 文 hints at the sound.
Radical: 刂 (knife), shared by 71 characters on this site.
How to remember 刘
Picture 文 (wén) on the left and the knife radical 刂 on the right. The knife side points to the old meaning of a battle-ax used to kill, while 文 is listed as the sound part.
Today 刘 (liú) is almost always seen as a very common surname, as in 刘备 (Liú Bèi) from the Three Kingdoms. The kill or battle-ax meaning is classical and rarely used. A common everyday word is 刘海 (liúhǎi), meaning bangs: 她剪了刘海。(Tā jiǎn le liúhǎi.) She cut bangs.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 刘 (liú) with 对 (duì), because both have a small left part and a narrow right part. 刘 has 文 plus the knife 刂, while 对 has 又 plus 寸. Also keep the second tone in liú and do not read it as the falling tone of 六 (liù).
Common words with 刘
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 刘海 | liúhǎi | bangs; fringe (hair) |
刘 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 刘
Learning 刘 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 刘
How many strokes are in 刘?
刘 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 刘 mean?
刘 (liú) means to kill, to destroy; surname. A common word with it is 刘海 (liúhǎi), meaning "bangs; fringe (hair)".
How do you pronounce 刘?
刘 is pronounced liú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 刘?
The radical of 刘 is 刂, which carries the idea of "knife". Dictionaries list 刘 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 刘?
The traditional form of 刘 is 劉. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 刘 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 刘 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 刘 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 刘海 mean bangs if 刘 means to kill?
In 刘海 the 刘 works as a name, not as the kill meaning. The word comes from the folk figure 刘海 (Liú Hǎi), who is shown with hair cut straight across his forehead, so the hairstyle took his name.
How common is 刘 as a surname?
刘 is one of the most common surnames in China and is usually ranked in the top five. You will meet many people named 刘, so it is worth learning early even though the character's original meaning is rare.