愣 meaning and stroke order
To look distracted; to stare blankly; distracted
How to write 愣, 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 愣
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to look distracted
- to stare blankly
- distracted
- blank
- (coll.) unexpectedly
- rash
How 愣 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
忄 gives the meaning and 罒 hints at the sound.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 愣
The heart radical 忄 on the left shows this is about your state of mind. On the right, 罒 looks like a wide-open eye above 方, so picture a mind gone blank while the eyes just stare.
愣 (lèng) describes freezing up or staring blankly, often from surprise. It appears in 发愣 (fālèng) and in the pattern 愣了一下 (lèng le yīxià, froze for a moment). Example: 他听到消息，愣住了。(Tā tīngdào xiāoxi, lèng zhù le.) He heard the news and was stunned.
Common mistake: Learners often say it with the second tone, as léng. That is the tone of 楞 (léng), a character people sometimes write in place of 愣. 愣 is fourth tone, lèng, and in standard writing you should use 愣 with the heart radical.
Common words with 愣
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 发愣 | fālèng | to stare blankly; to be in a daze | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 愣
How many strokes are in 愣?
愣 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 愣 mean?
愣 (lèng) means to look distracted; to stare blankly; distracted. A common word with it is 发愣 (fālèng), meaning "to stare blankly; to be in a daze".
How do you pronounce 愣?
愣 is pronounced lèng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 愣?
The radical of 愣 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 愣 under this radical.
Is 愣 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 愣 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 愣 mean in colloquial speech, as in 愣是?
In spoken Chinese 愣 can mean stubbornly or against expectation. For example, 他愣是不肯走 (tā lèng shì bù kěn zǒu) means he just flat out refused to leave.
How is 愣 different from 呆 (dāi)?
愣 usually describes a brief freeze caused by surprise or shock. 呆 is broader and can describe a longer dull or blank state, or even someone slow witted. In speech people often combine them as 发呆 and 发愣, which are close in meaning.