聊 meaning and stroke order
(coll.) to chat; (literary) temporarily; for a while; (literary) somewhat; slightly
How to write 聊, 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 聊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (coll.) to chat
- (literary) temporarily; for a while
- (literary) somewhat; slightly
- (literary) to depend upon
How 聊 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Ear.
耳 gives the meaning and 卯 hints at the sound.
Radical: 耳 (ear), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 聊
聊 is built from 耳 (ear) on the left, which gives the meaning, and 卯 (mǎo) on the right, which hints at the sound. Picture lending your ear to a friend: when you chat, you listen.
In modern Chinese 聊 (liáo) almost always means to chat, especially in 聊天 (liáotiān) and 闲聊 (xiánliáo). The literary senses like somewhat or for a while survive mainly in set phrases such as 聊胜于无 (liáo shèng yú wú), better than nothing. Example: 我们聊一会儿吧。(Wǒmen liáo yíhuìr ba.) Let's chat for a bit.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side 卯 like 印 or 仰, but 卯 has two mirrored halves that open toward each other. Also remember 无聊 (wúliáo) can mean both bored and boring, so 我很无聊 means I am bored, not that you are a boring person.
Common words with 聊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
聊 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 聊
How many strokes are in 聊?
聊 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 聊 mean?
聊 (liáo) means (coll.) to chat; (literary) temporarily; for a while; (literary) somewhat; slightly. A common word with it is 无聊 (wúliáo), meaning "bored; boring".
How do you pronounce 聊?
聊 is pronounced liáo, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 聊?
The radical of 聊 is 耳, which carries the idea of "ear". Dictionaries list 聊 under this radical.
Is 聊 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 聊 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 聊 be used with an object, like chatting about something?
Yes. You can say 聊工作 (liáo gōngzuò), to talk about work, or 聊什么 (liáo shénme), what to talk about. 聊天 itself is a verb plus object, so you split it as 聊了一会儿天 rather than adding another object after it.
What is the difference between 聊天 and 说话?
聊天 (liáotiān) means a relaxed, casual conversation with someone. 说话 (shuōhuà) simply means to speak or talk, and it does not imply a friendly chat.