狼 meaning and stroke order
Wolf
How to write 狼, 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 狼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- wolf
How 狼 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Dog.
犭 gives the meaning and 良 hints at the sound.
Radical: 犭 (dog), shared by 88 characters on this site.
How to remember 狼
狼 (láng) is a pictophonetic character. The left side 犭 is the animal radical with the hint "dog," and the right side 良 (liáng) gives the sound, so picture a wild dog-like animal whose name rhymes with 良.
狼 appears on its own for the animal and in many set phrases, often with a negative or fierce feel. Common examples include 狼吞虎咽 (lángtūnhǔyàn, to wolf down food) and 色狼 (sèláng, pervert). Example: 他饿得狼吞虎咽。(Tā è de lángtūnhǔyàn.) He was so hungry he wolfed down his food.
Common mistake: Learners often read 狼 as liáng because of its phonetic part 良, but the correct reading is láng with a second tone and no i. Also do not confuse it with 浪 (làng, wave), which shares 良 but has the water radical 氵 and a fourth tone.
Common words with 狼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 狼狈 | lángbèi | in a difficult situation; to cut a sorry figure | HSK 7-9 |
| 狼人 | lángrén | werewolf | |
| 色狼 | sèláng | lecher; pervert; wolf | |
| 黄鼠狼 | huángshǔláng | see 黃鼬|黄鼬[huang2 you4] | |
| 土狼 | tǔláng | aardwolf (Proteles cristatus), a small insectivorous relative of the hyena | |
| 声名狼藉 | shēngmínglángjí | to have a bad reputation | |
| 大灰狼 | dàhuīláng | big bad wolf | |
| 狼吞虎咽 | lángtūnhǔyàn | to wolf down one's food (idiom); to devour ravenously; to gorge oneself | |
| 豺狼 | cháiláng | jackal and wolf; ravenous wolf |
狼 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 狼
How many strokes are in 狼?
狼 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 狼 mean?
狼 (láng) means wolf. A common word with it is 狼狈 (lángbèi), meaning "in a difficult situation; to cut a sorry figure".
How do you pronounce 狼?
狼 is pronounced láng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 狼?
The radical of 狼 is 犭, which carries the idea of "dog". Dictionaries list 狼 under this radical.
Is 狼 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 狼 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 狼狈 (lángbèi) mean, and is it about wolves?
狼狈 means being in a difficult or embarrassing situation, or cutting a sorry figure. It is not about real wolves in everyday use. Example: 他被雨淋得很狼狈。(Tā bèi yǔ lín de hěn lángbèi.) He got caught in the rain and looked a mess.
Is 黄鼠狼 (huángshǔláng) a kind of wolf?
No. 黄鼠狼 is the common name for the Siberian weasel, also written 黄鼬 (huángyòu). Likewise 土狼 (tǔláng) is the aardwolf, a small relative of the hyena, not a true wolf.