寮 meaning and stroke order
Shanty, hut, shack
How to write 寮, 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 寮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- hut
- shack
- small window
- variant of 僚[liao2]
How 寮 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Roof.
宀 gives the meaning and 尞 hints at the sound.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 寮
寮 has the roof radical 宀 on top, which gives the meaning of a shelter, and 尞 underneath, which gives the sound liáo. Picture a simple roof thrown over a small space to make a hut.
寮 is a literary or regional word for a hut or shack, and it often appears in place names and in the word for a monk's living quarters. In Taiwan and southern China it is also used for small simple buildings. Example: 山上有一间茶寮。(Shān shàng yǒu yì jiān chá liáo.) There is a small tea hut on the mountain.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 寮 with 僚 (liáo, colleague, official) and 燎 (liáo, to burn), which share the same 尞 part and sound. Check the left or top part: 宀 means a building, 亻 means a person, and 火 means fire.
Questions about 寮
How many strokes are in 寮?
寮 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 寮 mean?
寮 (liáo) means shanty, hut, shack.
How do you pronounce 寮?
寮 is pronounced liáo, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 寮?
The radical of 寮 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 寮 under this radical.
Is 寮 a common word in everyday Mandarin?
Not very. In standard Mandarin you usually say 小屋 (xiǎowū) or 棚子 (péngzi) for a hut. 寮 appears more in written Chinese, place names, Buddhist terms like 僧寮 (sēngliáo), and Taiwanese or southern usage.
Why is 寮 listed as a variant of 僚?
In older texts 寮 was sometimes written for 僚 in the sense of colleague or official, as in 同寮 for 同僚 (tóngliáo). In modern writing you should use 僚 for that meaning and keep 寮 for huts and shelters.