惰 meaning and stroke order
Lazy, idle, indolent; careless
How to write 惰, stroke by stroke
12 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 惰
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- lazy
How 惰 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mind.
忄 gives the meaning and 左 hints at the sound.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 惰
The heart radical 忄 (mind) sits beside 左 (zuǒ, left) over ⺼ (flesh, body). Picture a mind that leaves the body lying to the left side, unwilling to get up: that is laziness.
惰 (duò) rarely stands alone in speech. It mostly appears in compounds like 懒惰 (lǎnduò) and in more formal or written phrases. Example: 他太懒惰了，从来不做家务。(Tā tài lǎnduò le, cónglái bú zuò jiāwù.) He is too lazy and never does housework.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 惰 (duò) with 堕 (duò, to fall, degenerate), which has the same sound and a similar right side but uses 土 (earth) at the bottom instead of the heart radical. Remember that laziness is a state of mind, so it takes 忄.
Common words with 惰
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 懒惰 | lǎnduò | idle; lazy | HSK 7-9 |
惰 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 惰
How many strokes are in 惰?
惰 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 惰 mean?
惰 (duò) means lazy, idle, indolent; careless. A common word with it is 懒惰 (lǎnduò), meaning "idle; lazy".
How do you pronounce 惰?
惰 is pronounced duò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 惰?
The radical of 惰 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 惰 under this radical.
Is 惰 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 惰 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 懒 and 惰?
懒 (lǎn) is the everyday word for lazy and works on its own, as in 他很懒 (tā hěn lǎn). 惰 (duò) is more formal and usually appears in compounds such as 懒惰 (lǎnduò).
What does 惰性 mean?
惰性 (duòxìng) means inertia or inactivity. In chemistry it describes inert substances, as in 惰性气体 (duòxìng qìtǐ, inert gas), and in daily talk it means a habit of not wanting to act.