礼 meaning and stroke order
Gift; rite; ceremony
How to write 礼, stroke by stroke
5 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
Meaning of 礼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- gift
- rite
- ceremony
- propriety
- etiquette
- courtesy
How 礼 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Spirit.
礻 gives the meaning and 乚 hints at the sound.
Radical: 礻 (spirit), shared by 43 characters on this site.
How to remember 礼
礼 combines 礻, the spirit radical, with 乚, which gives the sound. Picture someone bowing before the spirits: showing respect at a ceremony is where courtesy and manners begin.
礼 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It appears in words about gifts, ceremonies, and politeness, such as 礼物 (lǐwù), 婚礼 (hūnlǐ), and 礼貌 (lǐmào). Example: 他很有礼貌。(Tā hěn yǒu lǐmào.) He is very polite.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left side as 衤 (the clothing radical) instead of 礻. 礻 has one dot at the top and no extra short stroke, while 衤 has an extra dot on the right. Another slip is reading 礼 as lì, but the tone is third tone, lǐ.
Common words with 礼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 礼物 | lǐwù | gift; present | HSK 2 |
| 婚礼 | hūnlǐ | wedding ceremony; wedding | HSK 4 |
| 礼貌 | lǐmào | courtesy; politeness; manners; courteous; polite | HSK 5 |
| 礼拜 | lǐbài | to attend a religious service; (coll.) week | HSK 5 |
| 典礼 | diǎnlǐ | ceremony; celebration | HSK 5 |
| 礼堂 | lǐtáng | assembly hall; auditorium | HSK 6 |
| 送礼 | sònglǐ | to give a present | HSK 6 |
| 葬礼 | zànglǐ | burial; funeral | HSK 7-9 |
| 礼服 | lǐfú | ceremonial robe; formal attire (dinner suit, evening gown etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 敬礼 | jìnglǐ | to salute; salute | HSK 7-9 |
| 洗礼 | xǐlǐ | (lit. and fig.) baptism | HSK 7-9 |
| 礼仪 | lǐyí | etiquette; ceremony | HSK 7-9 |
| 礼品 | lǐpǐn | gift; present | HSK 7-9 |
| 彬彬有礼 | bīnbīn-yǒulǐ | refined and courteous; urbane | HSK 7-9 |
礼 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 礼
How many strokes are in 礼?
礼 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 礼 mean?
礼 (lǐ) means gift; rite; ceremony. A common word with it is 礼物 (lǐwù), meaning "gift; present".
How do you pronounce 礼?
礼 is pronounced lǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 礼?
The radical of 礼 is 礻, which carries the idea of "spirit". Dictionaries list 礼 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 礼?
The traditional form of 礼 is 禮. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 礼 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 礼 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 礼 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.
Why does 礼拜 (lǐbài) mean week?
礼拜 originally meant attending a religious service, which happens weekly. In casual speech it came to mean week, and 礼拜天 (lǐbàitiān) means Sunday. 星期 (xīngqī) is the more standard word for week.
What is the difference between 礼物 (lǐwù) and 送礼 (sònglǐ)?
礼物 is a noun meaning a gift or present. 送礼 is a verb phrase meaning to give a gift, often in a social or formal context. You can say 我送他一个礼物 (Wǒ sòng tā yí ge lǐwù), I gave him a present.