癞 meaning and stroke order
Leprosy; scabies, mange; shoddy
How to write 癞, stroke by stroke
18 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 癞
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- scabies
- skin disease
How 癞 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sickness.
疒 gives the meaning and 赖 hints at the sound.
Radical: 疒 (sickness), shared by 127 characters on this site.
How to remember 癞
The sickness radical 疒 wraps around 赖 (lài), which gives the sound. Picture a sick bed holding someone with a skin disease that just won't go away, so they have to rely (赖) on it being called lài.
癞 (lài) usually appears in words for skin diseases or bumpy, scabby surfaces, and it can sound rude when used about people. The most common word is 癞蛤蟆 (làiháma), the toad, named for its warty skin. Example: 癞蛤蟆想吃天鹅肉。(Làiháma xiǎng chī tiān'é ròu.) A toad wants to eat swan meat, meaning someone is aiming far above their station.
Common mistake: Learners often write 赖 (lài, to rely on, to blame) when they mean 癞, since the sound is identical. If the meaning is about disease or scabby skin, you need the 疒 radical on the outside.
Questions about 癞
How many strokes are in 癞?
癞 is written with 18 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 癞 mean?
癞 (lài) means leprosy; scabies, mange; shoddy.
How do you pronounce 癞?
癞 is pronounced lài, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 癞?
The radical of 癞 is 疒, which carries the idea of "sickness". Dictionaries list 癞 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 癞?
The traditional form of 癞 is 癩. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 癞 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 癞皮狗 mean?
癞皮狗 (làipí gǒu) literally means a mangy dog. It is also an insult for a shameless person who keeps bothering you and can't be shaken off.
Is 癞 the normal word for leprosy today?
Not usually. Modern standard Chinese uses 麻风病 (máfēngbìng) for leprosy, and 癞 is mostly found in set words like 癞蛤蟆 or in older and dialect usage.