叻 meaning and stroke order
Used in transliterations
How to write 叻, 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 叻
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (used in place names)
How 叻 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 叻
A mouth 口 (kǒu) next to strength 力 (lì) makes 叻. Picture a mouth working hard to pronounce a foreign sound, since this character is mostly used to spell out sounds in names.
叻 (lè) is used in place names and transliterations rather than as an everyday word. Its best known use is in 石叻 (shí lè), an old Chinese name for Singapore, as in 他住在石叻。(Tā zhù zài Shílè.) He lives in Singapore.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 叻 with 加 (jiā). Both use 口 and 力, but in 叻 the 口 is on the left, and in 加 the 力 is on the left. Also, 叻 is read lè with the fourth tone, not lì like 力.
Questions about 叻
How many strokes are in 叻?
叻 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 叻 mean?
叻 (lè) means used in transliterations.
How do you pronounce 叻?
叻 is pronounced lè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 叻?
The radical of 叻 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 叻 under this radical.
Is 叻 used in everyday Mandarin conversation?
Not really. In standard Mandarin it appears mainly in place names and transliterations, so most learners will only meet it in names or historical texts.
Why does 叻 have 口 on the left?
The 口 component is often added to characters that represent sounds, especially for foreign names and transliterations. The 力 part gives a hint about the sound.