理 meaning and stroke order
Texture; grain (of wood); inner essence
How to write 理, 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 理
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- texture
- grain (of wood)
- inner essence
- intrinsic order
- reason
- logic
How 理 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. King.
王 gives the meaning and 里 hints at the sound.
Radical: 王 (king), shared by 104 characters on this site.
How to remember 理
理 is pictophonetic: 王 on the left gives the meaning and 里 (lǐ) on the right gives the sound. Picture a king 王 bringing order to a village 里, which links to the ideas of reason, order, and managing.
理 rarely stands alone in modern speech and mostly appears in words like 道理 (dàolǐ, reason), 理解 (lǐjiě, to understand), and 管理 (guǎnlǐ, to manage). Example: 你说得有道理。(Nǐ shuō de yǒu dàolǐ.) What you say makes sense.
Common mistake: Learners often write 里 alone when they mean 理, because both are read lǐ. Remember that words about reason, understanding, or managing need the 王 side, as in 理解, not 里解.
Common words with 理
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 道理 | dàolǐ | reason; argument | HSK 2 |
| 经理 | jīnglǐ | manager; director | HSK 2 |
| 理想 | lǐxiǎng | an ideal; a dream | HSK 2 |
| 处理 | chǔlǐ | to handle; to deal with; to punish | HSK 3 |
| 理解 | lǐjiě | to comprehend; to understand | HSK 3 |
| 理由 | lǐyóu | reason; grounds | HSK 3 |
| 理论 | lǐlùn | theory; to argue | HSK 3 |
| 管理 | guǎnlǐ | to supervise; to manage | HSK 3 |
| 整理 | zhěnglǐ | to arrange; to tidy up | HSK 3 |
| 合理 | hélǐ | rational; reasonable; sensible; fair | HSK 3 |
| 理发 | lǐfà | to get a haircut; to have one's hair done; to cut (sb's) hair; to give (sb) a haircut | HSK 3 |
| 办理 | bànlǐ | to handle; to transact; to conduct | HSK 3 |
| 心理 | xīnlǐ | psychology; mentality | HSK 4 |
| 修理 | xiūlǐ | to repair; to fix | HSK 4 |
理 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 理
How many strokes are in 理?
理 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 理 mean?
理 (lǐ) means texture; grain (of wood); inner essence. A common word with it is 道理 (dàolǐ), meaning "reason; argument".
How do you pronounce 理?
理 is pronounced lǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 理?
The radical of 理 is 王, which carries the idea of "king". Dictionaries list 理 under this radical.
Is 理 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 理 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.
Can 理 be used by itself as a verb?
Yes, in casual speech 理 can mean to pay attention to someone, often in the negative. For example, 别理他 (bié lǐ tā) means ignore him.
What is the difference between 理由 and 原因?
理由 (lǐyóu) is a reason someone gives to justify an action, like an excuse or grounds. 原因 (yuányīn) is the cause of something that happened.