浪 meaning and stroke order
Wave; breaker; unrestrained
How to write 浪, 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
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- 3
- 4
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- 9
- 10
Meaning of 浪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- wave
- breaker
- unrestrained
- dissipated
- to stroll
- to ramble
How 浪 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 良 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 浪
浪 (làng) is water 氵 on the left plus 良 (liáng) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture water that will not stay still, rising into waves that roll on and on.
浪 appears mostly in compounds rather than alone. The most common is 浪费 (làngfèi), to waste, used for time, money and food: 别浪费时间。(Bié làngfèi shíjiān.) Don't waste time. You will also see it in 海浪 (hǎilàng) sea wave and 浪漫 (làngmàn) romantic.
Common mistake: Learners often write 狼 (láng, wolf) instead of 浪, since both have 良 on the right. Remember that 浪 has the water radical 氵 and a fourth tone, while 狼 has the animal radical 犭 and a second tone.
Common words with 浪
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 浪费 | làngfèi | to waste; to squander | HSK 3 |
| 浪漫 | làngmàn | romantic | HSK 5 |
| 海浪 | hǎilàng | sea wave | HSK 6 |
| 波浪 | bōlàng | wave | HSK 6 |
| 流浪 | liúlàng | to drift about; to wander | HSK 7-9 |
| 冲浪 | chōnglàng | to surf; surfing | HSK 7-9 |
| 风浪 | fēnglàng | wind and waves; rough waters; (fig.) hardship | HSK 7-9 |
| 流浪汉 | liúlànghàn | tramp; wanderer | |
| 流浪者 | liúlàngzhě | rover; vagabond | |
| 浪子 | làngzǐ | loafer; wastrel; prodigal son | |
| 浪潮 | làngcháo | wave; tides | |
| 流浪狗 | liúlànggǒu | stray dog | |
| 浪人 | làngrén | vagrant; unemployed person | |
| 冲浪板 | chōnglàngbǎn | surfboard; paddleboard |
浪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 浪
How many strokes are in 浪?
浪 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 浪 mean?
浪 (làng) means wave; breaker; unrestrained. A common word with it is 浪费 (làngfèi), meaning "to waste; to squander".
How do you pronounce 浪?
浪 is pronounced làng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 浪?
The radical of 浪 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 浪 under this radical.
Is 浪 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 浪 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Why does 浪 mean both wave and wasteful?
The dictionary senses include unrestrained and dissipated, like water that spills without control. That idea of letting things flow away carelessly shows up in 浪费 (làngfèi), to waste.
Is 浪漫 (làngmàn) related to the English word romantic?
Yes, 浪漫 is commonly used as the Chinese word for romantic, and it sounds a bit like the English. You can say 他很浪漫 (tā hěn làngmàn), he is very romantic.