拉 meaning and stroke order
To pull; to play (a bowed instrument); to drag
How to write 拉, 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
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- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 8
Meaning of 拉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to pull
- to play (a bowed instrument)
- to drag
- to draw
- to chat
- (coll.) to empty one's bowels
- to make a cut in (sth); to slit; to gash; to slash
- used in 拉拉蛄[la4 la4 gu3]
- variant of 落[la4]
How 拉 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 立 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 拉
拉 combines the hand radical 扌 with 立 (lì, to stand), which hints at the sound. Picture a hand grabbing someone who is standing and pulling them along.
拉 is the everyday verb for pulling, the opposite of 推 (tuī, to push), and you will see both on doors. It also means playing a bowed instrument, as in 拉小提琴 (lā xiǎotíqín). It is very common in loanwords for its sound, such as 克拉 (kèlā, carat) and 阿拉伯 (Ālābó, Arab). Example: 请把门拉开。(Qǐng bǎ mén lākāi.) Please pull the door open.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 拉 and 推 on door signs. 拉 means pull and 推 means push. Some also write the right side as 立 with too few strokes or confuse 拉 with 啦 (la), the sentence-final particle that adds the mouth radical 口.
Common words with 拉
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 拉开 | lākāi | to pull open; to pull apart | HSK 4 |
| 阿拉伯语 | Ālābóyǔ | Arabic (language) | HSK 7-9 |
| 拉拢 | lālǒng | to rope in; fig. to involve sb | HSK 7-9 |
| 拉动 | lādòng | to pull; (fig.) to stimulate (economic activity) | HSK 7-9 |
| 拉锁 | lāsuǒ | zipper | HSK 7-9 |
| 易拉罐 | yìlāguàn | pull-top can; easy-open can (with ring-pull) | HSK 7-9 |
| 卡拉 | Kǎlā | karaoke; (Tw) (of chicken etc) crispy, deep-fried | |
| 克拉 | kèlā | carat (mass) (loanword) | |
| 沙拉 | shālā | (loanword) salad | |
| 拉里 | lālǐ | lari (currency of Georgia) (loanword) | |
| 拉屎 | lāshǐ | to defecate; to shit; to crap | |
| 阿拉 | Ālā | (Wu dialect) I; me; my; we; us; our | |
| 罗拉 | luólā | roller (loanword) | |
| 拉拉 | Lālā | (slang) lesbian; (coll.) Labrador retriever |
拉 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 拉
Learning 拉 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 拉
How many strokes are in 拉?
拉 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 拉 mean?
拉 (lā) means to pull; to play (a bowed instrument); to drag. A common word with it is 拉开 (lākāi), meaning "to pull open; to pull apart".
How do you pronounce 拉?
拉 is pronounced lā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 拉?
The radical of 拉 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 拉 under this radical.
Is 拉 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 拉 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Does 拉 only mean physically pulling?
No. It has many extended meanings, such as 拉关系 (lā guānxi, to build connections), 拉肚子 (lā dùzi, to have diarrhea), and 拉动 (lādòng, to stimulate the economy). The core idea of drawing something toward you stays the same.
How do you say 'play the violin' or 'play the piano' with 拉?
Use 拉 for bowed instruments: 拉小提琴 (lā xiǎotíqín, play the violin), 拉二胡 (lā èrhú, play the erhu). For the piano you use 弹 (tán), as in 弹钢琴 (tán gāngqín).