利 meaning and stroke order
Sharp; favorable; advantage
How to write 利, 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 利
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- sharp
- favorable
- advantage
- benefit
- profit
- interest
How 利 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Harvesting 刂 grain 禾.
Radical: 刂 (knife), shared by 71 characters on this site.
How to remember 利
利 puts grain 禾 next to a knife 刂. Cutting grain at harvest brings profit, and the blade must be sharp to do it.
利 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in words like 顺利 (shùnlì), 利用 (lìyòng), and 利息 (lìxī), carrying ideas of benefit, advantage, or smoothness. Example: 祝你一路顺利。(Zhù nǐ yí lù shùnlì.) I wish you a smooth trip.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 利 with 和 (hé), which also has 禾 on the left but has 口 on the right instead of the knife 刂. Also note that 权利 (quánlì, a right) and 权力 (quánlì, power) sound identical but mean different things.
Common words with 利
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 顺利 | shùnlì | smoothly; without a hitch | HSK 2 |
| 流利 | liúlì | fluent | HSK 2 |
| 利用 | lìyòng | to exploit; to make use of | HSK 3 |
| 胜利 | shènglì | victory | HSK 3 |
| 有利 | yǒulì | advantageous; favorable | HSK 3 |
| 权利 | quánlì | right (i.e. an entitlement to sth); (classical) power and wealth | HSK 4 |
| 利益 | lìyì | benefit; (in sb's) interest | HSK 4 |
| 利息 | lìxī | interest (on a loan) | HSK 4 |
| 不利 | bùlì | unfavorable; disadvantageous | HSK 5 |
| 利润 | lìrùn | profits | HSK 5 |
| 福利 | fúlì | benefit (provided by an employer or organization); (social) welfare | HSK 5 |
| 专利 | zhuānlì | patent; sth uniquely enjoyed (or possessed etc) by a certain group of people | HSK 5 |
| 便利 | biànlì | convenient; easy | HSK 5 |
| 有利于 | yǒulì yú | to be advantageous to; to be beneficial for | HSK 5 |
利 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 利
Learning 利 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 利
How many strokes are in 利?
利 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 利 mean?
利 (lì) means sharp; favorable; advantage. A common word with it is 顺利 (shùnlì), meaning "smoothly; without a hitch".
How do you pronounce 利?
利 is pronounced lì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 利?
The radical of 利 is 刂, which carries the idea of "knife". Dictionaries list 利 under this radical.
Is 利 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 利 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.
What is the difference between 利益 and 好处?
Both mean benefit. 利益 (lìyì) is more formal and often refers to interests, such as national or personal interests. 好处 (hǎochu) is everyday and means a general advantage or perk.
How do you say someone speaks a language fluently?
Use 流利 (liúlì) after 说得. For example, 他中文说得很流利。(Tā Zhōngwén shuō de hěn liúlì.) He speaks Chinese fluently.