禮 meaning and stroke order
Courtesy, manners, social customs
How to write 禮, stroke by stroke
17 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 禮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- gift
- rite
- ceremony
- propriety
- etiquette
- courtesy
How 禮 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Spirit.
礻 gives the meaning and 豊 hints at the sound.
Radical: 礻 (spirit), shared by 43 characters on this site.
How to remember 禮
禮 combines 礻 (spirit, the altar radical) with 豊, which gives the sound. Picture a well-stocked offering set out before the spirits: showing respect with proper ritual is the root of courtesy.
禮 (lǐ) covers rites and ceremonies, good manners, and gifts. It shows up in words like 禮物 (lǐwù, gift), 婚禮 (hūnlǐ, wedding) and 禮貌 (lǐmào, polite). Example: 他很有禮貌。(Tā hěn yǒu lǐmào.) He is very polite.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse the left side 礻 (spirit) with 衤 (clothing), which has one extra stroke. Also, 禮 is third tone lǐ, so do not mix it up with 李 (lǐ, plum) or 理 (lǐ, reason) when reading, even though they sound the same.
Common words with 禮
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 禮物 | lǐwù | gift; present | HSK 2 |
| 婚禮 | hūnlǐ | wedding ceremony; wedding | HSK 4 |
| 禮貌 | lǐmào | courtesy; politeness; manners; courteous; polite | HSK 5 |
| 禮拜 | lǐbài | to attend a religious service; (coll.) week | HSK 5 |
| 典禮 | diǎnlǐ | ceremony; celebration | HSK 5 |
| 禮堂 | lǐtáng | assembly hall; auditorium | HSK 6 |
| 送禮 | sònglǐ | to give a present | HSK 6 |
| 葬禮 | zànglǐ | burial; funeral | HSK 7-9 |
| 禮服 | lǐfú | ceremonial robe; formal attire (dinner suit, evening gown etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 敬禮 | jìnglǐ | to salute; salute | HSK 7-9 |
| 洗禮 | xǐlǐ | (lit. and fig.) baptism | HSK 7-9 |
| 禮儀 | lǐyí | etiquette; ceremony | HSK 7-9 |
| 禮品 | lǐpǐn | gift; present | HSK 7-9 |
| 彬彬有禮 | bīnbīn-yǒulǐ | refined and courteous; urbane | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 禮
How many strokes are in 禮?
禮 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 禮 mean?
禮 (lǐ) means courtesy, manners, social customs. A common word with it is 礼物 (lǐwù), meaning "gift; present".
How do you pronounce 禮?
禮 is pronounced lǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 禮?
The radical of 禮 is 礻, which carries the idea of "spirit". Dictionaries list 禮 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 禮?
禮 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 礼, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does 禮拜 (lǐbài) mean week?
禮拜 originally meant attending a religious service, which happened weekly. In colloquial speech it came to mean week, so 禮拜一 (lǐbài yī) is Monday, similar to 星期一 (xīngqī yī).
What is the difference between 禮物 and 送禮?
禮物 (lǐwù) is a noun meaning the gift itself. 送禮 (sònglǐ) is a verb phrase meaning to give a present, as in 過年要送禮 (guònián yào sònglǐ), you give gifts at New Year.