咧 meaning and stroke order
To grimace, to grin
How to write 咧, stroke by stroke
9 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
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- 9
Meaning of 咧
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to draw back the corners of one's mouth
- modal particle expressing exclamation
- used in 咧咧[lie1 lie1]
- used in 大大咧咧[da4 da4 lie1 lie1]
- used in 罵罵咧咧|骂骂咧咧[ma4 ma5 lie1 lie1]
How 咧 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 列 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 咧
咧 combines 口 (mouth) with 列 (liè), which gives the sound. Picture your mouth 口 stretching sideways into a long row 列 of teeth when you grin or grimace.
In the sense liě, 咧 usually appears in 咧嘴 (liězuǐ), meaning to pull back the corners of the mouth in a grin, a grimace, or a snarl. 他咧着嘴笑了。(Tā liězhe zuǐ xiào le.) He grinned broadly. Read liē, it appears in set phrases such as 大大咧咧 (dàdaliēliē), meaning carefree or careless.
Common mistake: Learners often write 列 (liè) or 例 (lì) when they mean 咧. Only 咧 has the mouth radical 口 on the left. Also watch the tone: it is third tone liě in 咧嘴, but first tone liē in 大大咧咧.
Common words with 咧
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
咧 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 咧
How many strokes are in 咧?
咧 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 咧 mean?
咧 (liě) means to grimace, to grin. A common word with it is 咧嘴 (liězuǐ), meaning "to draw back the corners of one's mouth (as when smiling, grimacing, or snarling)".
How do you pronounce 咧?
咧 is pronounced liě, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 咧?
The radical of 咧 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 咧 under this radical.
Is 咧 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 咧 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does 咧嘴 always mean a happy smile?
No. 咧嘴 only describes the mouth stretching back, so the feeling depends on context. It can be a wide grin, a grimace of pain, or a snarl, as in 疼得直咧嘴 (téng de zhí liězuǐ), wincing with pain.
What does 大大咧咧 say about a person?
It describes someone easygoing and casual who does not fuss over details. It can be friendly, but it can also suggest the person is a bit careless or tactless.