琉 meaning and stroke order
Sparkling stone; opaque, glazed
How to write 琉, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Meaning of 琉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- precious stone
- old variant of 琉[liu2]
How 琉 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Jade.
王 gives the meaning and 㐬 hints at the sound.
Radical: 王 (king), shared by 104 characters on this site.
How to remember 琉
The left side 王 is the jade radical, so 琉 is about precious stone. The right side 㐬 gives the sound liú, the same sound part you see in 流 (liú, to flow), so picture glossy jade with a flowing, glassy shine.
琉 almost never appears alone. It is used in fixed words like 琉璃 (liúli, colored glaze or glass) and 琉球 (Liúqiú, the Ryukyu Islands). Example: 故宫的屋顶是黄色的琉璃瓦。(Gùgōng de wūdǐng shì huángsè de liúli wǎ.) The roofs of the Forbidden City are yellow glazed tiles.
Common mistake: Learners often write 流 (liú, to flow) instead of 琉 because they share the same right side and sound. Remember that 流 has the water radical 氵, while 琉 has the jade radical 王 for stone and glaze.
琉 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 琉
How many strokes are in 琉?
琉 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 琉 mean?
琉 (liú) means sparkling stone; opaque, glazed.
How do you pronounce 琉?
琉 is pronounced liú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 琉?
The radical of 琉 is 王, which carries the idea of "king". Dictionaries list 琉 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 琉?
The traditional form of 琉 is 瑠 and 璢. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 琉 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 琉璃 (liúli) mean?
琉璃 refers to colored glaze, like the shiny tiles on traditional Chinese roofs. It can also mean decorative colored glass or glass art. In 琉璃, the second syllable is usually said in a light neutral tone.
Is 琉 related to the name Ryukyu or Okinawa?
Yes. The Ryukyu Islands are written 琉球 (Liúqiú) in Chinese. This place name and the word 琉璃 are the two most common places you will meet this character.