垃 meaning and stroke order
Garbage, refuse, trash, waste
How to write 垃, stroke by stroke
8 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
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- 8
Meaning of 垃
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 垃圾[la1 ji1]
- Taiwan pr. [le4]
How 垃 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Earth.
土 gives the meaning and 立 hints at the sound.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 垃
垃 is built from 土 (earth) on the left and 立 (lì, to stand) on the right. Picture dirt and junk piled up so high it can stand on its own, and remember that 立 also hints at the sound.
垃 almost never appears alone. It lives inside the word 垃圾 (lājī), trash, which then builds other words like 垃圾桶 (lājītǒng) trash can and 垃圾车 (lājīchē) garbage truck. Example: 请把垃圾扔进垃圾桶。(Qǐng bǎ lājī rēng jìn lājītǒng.) Please throw the trash into the trash can.
Common mistake: Learners often write the second character of 垃圾 with the wrong right side, but the left side of both characters is 土, so check that 垃 has 土 plus 立 and not 扌 plus 立 (拉 lā, to pull). 垃 and 拉 share the same sound, which makes the mix-up even easier.
Common words with 垃
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
垃 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 垃
How many strokes are in 垃?
垃 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 垃 mean?
垃 (lā) means garbage, refuse, trash, waste. A common word with it is 垃圾 (lājī), meaning "trash; refuse".
How do you pronounce 垃?
垃 is pronounced lā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 垃?
The radical of 垃 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 垃 under this radical.
Is 垃 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 垃 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why do some people say lèsè instead of lājī?
In Taiwan the standard pronunciation of 垃圾 is lèsè. In mainland China the standard is lājī. Both refer to the same thing, so choose the one used where you live or study.
Can 垃圾 describe people or things that are bad quality?
Yes, in casual speech 垃圾 can mean junk or rubbish in a figurative sense, as in 垃圾邮件 (lājī yóujiàn) spam email or 垃圾食品 (lājī shípǐn) junk food. Calling a person 垃圾 is a strong insult, so use it carefully.