泪 meaning and stroke order
(bound form) tears; teardrops
How to write 泪, 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.
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Meaning of 泪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) tears; teardrops
How 泪 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Water 氵 from the eyes 目.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 泪
泪 (lèi) is water 氵 next to an eye 目. Water coming from the eye is a tear.
泪 is a bound form, so it usually appears inside words like 眼泪 (yǎnlèi), 泪水 (lèishuǐ), and 流泪 (liúlèi) rather than standing alone. Example: 她流下了眼泪。(Tā liúxià le yǎnlèi.) She shed tears.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 目 (eye) as 日 (sun) on the right side, but the eye needs two inner strokes. Also, do not say 我泪了 for "I cried." Use 我哭了 (wǒ kū le) or 我流泪了 (wǒ liúlèi le).
Common words with 泪
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
泪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 泪
How many strokes are in 泪?
泪 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 泪 mean?
泪 (lèi) means (bound form) tears; teardrops. A common word with it is 眼泪 (yǎnlèi), meaning "tear; teardrop".
How do you pronounce 泪?
泪 is pronounced lèi, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 泪?
The radical of 泪 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 泪 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 泪?
The traditional form of 泪 is 淚. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 泪 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 泪 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 泪 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 泪 and 哭?
泪 is the tears themselves, a noun-like bound form. 哭 (kū) is the verb "to cry." You 哭 and then 眼泪 come out.
Is there a difference between 眼泪 and 泪水?
Both mean tears. 眼泪 (yǎnlèi) is the everyday spoken word. 泪水 (lèishuǐ) sounds a bit more written or descriptive, as in stories and songs.