犁 meaning and stroke order
To plow
How to write 犁, stroke by stroke
11 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 犁
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- plow
How 犁 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To use an ox 牛 to harvest 刂 grain 禾; 利 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 牛 (ox), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 犁
The top is 利 (lì), made of grain 禾 and a knife 刂, and the bottom is an ox 牛. Picture an ox pulling a sharp blade through the field to grow grain, and you have 犁 (lí), to plow.
犁 works as both a noun, a plow, and a verb, to plow. You will see it in farming words like 犁地 (lí dì, to plow the land) and 犁田 (lí tián, to plow the fields). Example: 农民用牛犁地。(Nóngmín yòng niú lí dì.) The farmer plows the land with an ox.
Common mistake: Learners often read 犁 with the fourth tone because 利 is lì, but 犁 is second tone, lí. Also do not confuse it with 梨 (lí, pear), which has the same sound and the same top but a tree 木 at the bottom instead of an ox 牛.
Questions about 犁
How many strokes are in 犁?
犁 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 犁 mean?
犁 (lí) means to plow.
How do you pronounce 犁?
犁 is pronounced lí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 犁?
The radical of 犁 is 牛, which carries the idea of "ox". Dictionaries list 犁 under this radical.
What is the difference between 犁 and 耕?
耕 (gēng) means to cultivate or till in a general sense, as in 耕地 (gēngdì, farmland). 犁 refers more specifically to the plow or to turning soil with a plow. They often appear together as 犁耕 or in phrases like 用犁耕地.
Is 犁 still used in modern Chinese?
Yes, mainly in farming contexts and in set expressions. A common word is 犁头 (lítou, plowshare). In daily city life you will see it less often, but it is a standard everyday word in rural areas.