料 meaning and stroke order
Material; stuff; grain
How to write 料, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 9
- 10
Meaning of 料
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- material
- stuff
- grain
- feed
- to expect
- to anticipate
How 料 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A hand measuring 斗 a cup of rice 米.
Radical: 斗 (to struggle), shared by 6 characters on this site.
How to remember 料
料 shows rice 米 next to a measuring scoop 斗, like a hand measuring out a cup of rice. Measuring out your rice is sorting your materials, and sizing up an amount by eye is like making a guess.
In modern Chinese 料 mostly appears in compound words for materials and substances, such as 材料 (cáiliào), 塑料 (sùliào) and 饮料 (yǐnliào). The sense of expecting shows up in words like 不料 (bùliào) and 预料 (yùliào). Example: 你想喝什么饮料？ (Nǐ xiǎng hē shénme yǐnliào?) What would you like to drink?
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 科 (kē) instead of 料, because both have a component on the left and 斗 or 斗-like strokes on the right. Remember that 料 has rice 米 on the left, while 科 has grain 禾.
Common words with 料
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 资料 | zīliào | material; resources | HSK 4 |
| 材料 | cáiliào | (raw) material; data | HSK 4 |
| 燃料 | ránliào | fuel | HSK 4 |
| 塑料 | sùliào | plastic; plastics (general term for synthetic polymer materials) | HSK 4 |
| 原料 | yuánliào | raw material | HSK 4 |
| 塑料袋 | sùliàodài | plastic bag | HSK 4 |
| 饮料 | yǐnliào | drink; beverage | HSK 5 |
| 不料 | bùliào | unexpectedly; to one's surprise | HSK 6 |
| 料到 | liàodào | to foresee; to anticipate | HSK 7-9 |
| 料理 | liàolǐ | to arrange; to handle | HSK 7-9 |
| 照料 | zhàoliào | to tend; to take care of sb | HSK 7-9 |
| 预料 | yùliào | to forecast; to anticipate | HSK 7-9 |
| 香料 | xiāngliào | spice; flavoring | HSK 7-9 |
| 肥料 | féiliào | fertilizer | HSK 7-9 |
料 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 料
How many strokes are in 料?
料 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 料 mean?
料 (liào) means material; stuff; grain. A common word with it is 资料 (zīliào), meaning "material; resources".
How do you pronounce 料?
料 is pronounced liào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 料?
The radical of 料 is 斗, which carries the idea of "to struggle". Dictionaries list 料 under this radical.
Is 料 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 料 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 资料 and 材料?
资料 (zīliào) usually means information or reference materials, like documents and data you look up. 材料 (cáiliào) is broader. It can mean physical raw materials like wood or steel, and it can also mean paperwork you hand in, such as application documents.
How do you use 不料 in a sentence?
不料 (bùliào) means unexpectedly and introduces a surprising turn, often near the start of the second clause. For example: 我以为他会来，不料他没来。 (Wǒ yǐwéi tā huì lái, bùliào tā méi lái.) I thought he would come, but unexpectedly he did not.