牢 meaning and stroke order
(literary) pen; fold (for livestock); prison; jail; firm; secure; fast
How to write 牢, stroke by stroke
7 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
Meaning of 牢
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (literary) pen; fold (for livestock)
- prison; jail
- firm; secure; fast
How 牢 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A stable 宀 where cattle are kept 牛.
Radical: 牛 (ox), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 牢
牢 shows a cow 牛 (niú) under a roof 宀, a stable where cattle are kept. A pen built to hold animals in must be firm and secure, and the same idea gives the meaning "prison."
Today 牢 rarely stands alone. It appears in words about prison like 坐牢 (zuòláo) and in words meaning firm or lasting like 牢记 (láojì) and 牢固 (láogù). Example: 请牢记这个密码。(Qǐng láojì zhège mìmǎ.) Please remember this password well.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the bottom as 午 (wǔ) instead of 牛 (niú). In 牛 the vertical stroke goes through the top horizontal, and in 午 it does not. Also note that 牢骚 in 发牢骚 (fā láosāo) means complaints and has nothing to do with prison.
Common words with 牢
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 牢牢 | láoláo | firmly; safely | HSK 7-9 |
| 牢记 | láojì | to keep in mind; to remember | HSK 7-9 |
| 牢固 | láogù | firm; secure | HSK 7-9 |
| 亡羊补牢 | wángyáng-bǔláo | lit. to mend the pen after sheep are lost (idiom); fig. to act belatedly | HSK 7-9 |
| 坐牢 | zuòláo | to be imprisoned | |
| 牢房 | láofáng | jail cell; prison cell | |
| 地牢 | dìláo | prison; dungeon | |
| 发牢骚 | fāláosāo | to whine; to be grouchy | |
| 牢笼 | láolóng | cage; trap (e.g. basket, pit or snare for catching animals) | |
| 大牢 | dàláo | prison | |
| 监牢 | jiānláo | prison; jail | |
| 牢骚 | láosāo | discontent; complaint | |
| 牢狱 | láoyù | prison | |
| 牢狱之灾 | láoyùzhīzāi | imprisonment |
牢 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 牢
How many strokes are in 牢?
牢 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 牢 mean?
牢 (láo) means (literary) pen; fold (for livestock); prison; jail; firm; secure; fast. A common word with it is 牢牢 (láoláo), meaning "firmly; safely".
How do you pronounce 牢?
牢 is pronounced láo, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 牢?
The radical of 牢 is 牛, which carries the idea of "ox". Dictionaries list 牢 under this radical.
Is 牢 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 牢 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 亡羊补牢 mean and when is it used?
It literally means to mend the pen after the sheep are lost. It can criticize acting too late, but people often use it positively: fixing a problem now is still better than never fixing it.
What is the difference between 牢牢 and 牢固?
牢牢 (láoláo) is an adverb placed before verbs, as in 牢牢抓住 (láoláo zhuāzhù), to grip firmly. 牢固 (láogù) is an adjective describing things like buildings or foundations, as in 基础很牢固, the foundation is solid.