弱 meaning and stroke order
Weak; feeble; young; inferior; not as good as
How to write 弱, stroke by stroke
10 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 弱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- weak; feeble
- young
- inferior; not as good as
- (following a decimal or fraction) slightly less than
How 弱 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Two shoots 弓 dying to frost 冫.
Radical: 弓 (bow), shared by 29 characters on this site.
How to remember 弱
弱 (ruò) shows two young shoots, each drawn like 弓, with frost marks 冫 beneath them. Picture two tender sprouts drooping in the frost, too weak to stand up straight.
弱 (ruò) means weak or feeble and is the opposite of 强 (qiáng, strong). It appears often in two-character words like 脆弱 (cuìruò, fragile) and 弱点 (ruòdiǎn, weak point). Example: 他的身体很弱。(Tā de shēntǐ hěn ruò.) His health is very weak.
Common mistake: Learners often write the inner part of each half as two dots and stop there. Each side is 弓 with a 冫-like pair of short strokes tucked inside, and both halves are identical. Also watch the tone: ruò is fourth tone, not ruó.
Common words with 弱
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 薄弱 | bóruò | weak; frail | HSK 5 |
| 脆弱 | cuìruò | weak; frail | HSK 7-9 |
| 弱点 | ruòdiǎn | weak point; failing | HSK 7-9 |
| 软弱 | ruǎnruò | weak; feeble | HSK 7-9 |
| 虚弱 | xūruò | weak; in poor health | HSK 7-9 |
| 微弱 | wēiruò | weak; faint | HSK 7-9 |
| 削弱 | xuēruò | to weaken; to impair | HSK 7-9 |
| 减弱 | jiǎnruò | to weaken; to diminish | HSK 7-9 |
| 衰弱 | shuāiruò | weak; feeble | HSK 7-9 |
| 弱势 | ruòshì | vulnerable; weak | HSK 7-9 |
| 懦弱 | nuòruò | cowardly; weak | |
| 弱智 | ruòzhì | weak-minded; mentally deficient | |
| 弱小 | ruòxiǎo | small and weak; puny; the small and weak; children; women and children | |
| 柔弱 | róuruò | weak; delicate |
弱 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 弱
Learning 弱 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 弱
How many strokes are in 弱?
弱 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 弱 mean?
弱 (ruò) means weak; feeble; young; inferior; not as good as. A common word with it is 薄弱 (bóruò), meaning "weak; frail".
How do you pronounce 弱?
弱 is pronounced ruò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 弱?
The radical of 弱 is 弓, which carries the idea of "bow". Dictionaries list 弱 under this radical.
Is 弱 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 弱 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 弱 mean after a number, like 三分之一弱?
After a fraction or decimal, 弱 means slightly less than that amount. 三分之一弱 (sān fēn zhī yī ruò) means a little under one third. The opposite is 强 (qiáng), meaning slightly more.
What is the difference between 弱, 软弱 and 虚弱?
弱 is the general word for weak. 软弱 (ruǎnruò) usually describes a weak or timid character, while 虚弱 (xūruò) describes a body that is weak from illness or poor health.