嘮 meaning and stroke order
To chat, to gossip, to jaw, to talk
How to write 嘮, stroke by stroke
15 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 嘮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to gossip
- to chat (dialect)
- used in 嘮叨|唠叨[lao2 dao5]
How 嘮 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 勞 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 嘮
The mouth 口 on the left shows this is about talking, and 勞 (láo, toil) on the right gives the sound. Picture a mouth that works as hard as a laborer, never resting from chatter.
In láo, it almost always appears in 嘮叨 (láodao), meaning to nag or go on and on, often said of parents. Read as lào, it means to chat casually, mainly in northern dialects, as in 嘮嗑 (lào kē). Example: 媽媽總是嘮叨我。(Māma zǒngshì láodao wǒ.) Mom is always nagging me.
Common mistake: Learners often write the phonetic as 労 or confuse 嘮 with 撈 (lāo, to scoop up), which has the hand radical 扌 instead of 口. Also remember that in 嘮叨 the second syllable is neutral tone: láodao, not láo dāo.
Common words with 嘮
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 嘮叨 | láodao | to prattle; to chatter away | HSK 7-9 |
| 嘮嘮叨叨 | láolaodāodāo | to chatter; to babble |
Questions about 嘮
How many strokes are in 嘮?
嘮 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 嘮 mean?
嘮 (láo) means to chat, to gossip, to jaw, to talk. A common word with it is 唠叨 (láodao), meaning "to prattle; to chatter away".
How do you pronounce 嘮?
嘮 is pronounced láo, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 嘮?
The radical of 嘮 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 嘮 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 嘮?
嘮 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 唠, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between láo and lào for 嘮?
láo is used in 嘮叨, which means to nag or ramble on. lào is a dialect reading, common in northeastern China, meaning to chat in a relaxed way, as in 嘮嗑 (lào kē) or 嘮家常 (lào jiācháng).
Is 嘮叨 negative?
Usually yes. It suggests someone repeats things too much or nags, like an older relative giving endless advice. It can be affectionate in tone, but it is rarely a compliment.