流 meaning and stroke order
To flow; to disseminate; to circulate or spread
How to write 流, 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
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Meaning of 流
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to flow
- to disseminate
- to circulate or spread
- to move or drift
- to degenerate
- to banish or send into exile
How 流 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 㐬 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 流
流 (liú) is pictophonetic: the water radical 氵 on the left gives the meaning, and 㐬 on the right hints at the sound. Picture water 氵 running past, carrying things along with it, and you have 'to flow'.
流 describes liquids flowing, but it also extends to things that spread or circulate, like fashions, ideas, and money. It appears in many everyday words such as 流利 (liúlì, fluent), 交流 (jiāoliú, to exchange), and 流行 (liúxíng, popular). Example: 她的中文说得很流利。(Tā de Zhōngwén shuō de hěn liúlì.) She speaks Chinese very fluently.
Common mistake: Learners often add an extra dot to the right side or mix 流 up with 硫 (liú, sulfur), which has the same right part but 石 instead of 氵. Remember that only 流 has the water radical, because only it is about flowing.
Common words with 流
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 流行 | liúxíng | (of a contagious disease etc) to spread; to propagate; (of a style of clothing, song etc) | HSK 2 |
| 流利 | liúlì | fluent | HSK 2 |
| 交流 | jiāoliú | to exchange; exchange | HSK 3 |
| 流传 | liúchuán | to spread; to circulate; to hand down | HSK 4 |
| 潮流 | cháoliú | tide; current | HSK 4 |
| 一流 | yīliú | top quality; front ranking | HSK 5 |
| 流动 | liúdòng | to flow; to circulate; to move about; mobile; (of assets) liquid | HSK 5 |
| 流通 | liútōng | to circulate; to distribute; circulation; distribution | HSK 5 |
| 流感 | liúgǎn | flu; influenza | HSK 6 |
| 主流 | zhǔliú | main stream (of a river); fig. the essential point | HSK 6 |
| 流血 | liúxuè | to bleed; to shed blood | HSK 7-9 |
| 流氓 | liúmáng | rogue; hoodlum | HSK 7-9 |
| 河流 | héliú | river | HSK 7-9 |
| 流浪 | liúlàng | to drift about; to wander | HSK 7-9 |
流 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 流
How many strokes are in 流?
流 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 流 mean?
流 (liú) means to flow; to disseminate; to circulate or spread. A common word with it is 流行 (liúxíng), meaning "(of a contagious disease etc) to spread; to propagate; (of a style of clothing, song etc) ".
How do you pronounce 流?
流 is pronounced liú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 流?
The radical of 流 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 流 under this radical.
Is 流 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 流 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.
How do you say 'tears are flowing' or 'sweating' with 流?
Use 流 as a verb with the liquid as its object: 流眼泪 (liú yǎnlèi, to shed tears), 流汗 (liú hàn, to sweat), 流血 (liú xiě, to bleed). The thing that flows comes after 流.
Why does 一流 mean top quality?
Here 流 means a class or rank, so 一流 (yīliú) is literally 'first class'. You may also see 二流 (èrliú, second-rate) and 三流 (sānliú, third-rate).