莉 meaning and stroke order
Jasmine
How to write 莉, stroke by stroke
10 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 莉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 茉莉[mo4 li4]
- used in the transliteration of female names
How 莉 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Flower.
艹 gives the meaning and 利 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 莉
The grass radical 艹 on top marks a plant, and 利 (lì) underneath gives the sound. Picture a jasmine flower growing above a sharp blade 利, and remember it is read just like 利.
莉 almost never appears alone. It shows up in 茉莉 (mòlì, jasmine) and very often in women's names, both Chinese given names and transliterated foreign names. Example: 我喜欢喝茉莉花茶。(Wǒ xǐhuan hē mòlìhuā chá.) I like drinking jasmine tea.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write plain 利 (lì) in names or in 茉莉, forgetting the grass radical on top. Also note that in 茉莉 the second syllable is often said with a light tone, so mòli sounds natural.
Common words with 莉
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
莉 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 莉
How many strokes are in 莉?
莉 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 莉 mean?
莉 (lì) means jasmine. A common word with it is 茉莉 (mòlì), meaning "jasmine".
How do you pronounce 莉?
莉 is pronounced lì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 莉?
The radical of 莉 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 莉 under this radical.
Why is 莉 so common in girls' names?
It is linked to the jasmine flower, which sounds gentle and pretty. It is also used to write the sound li in foreign female names, such as 莉莉 (Lìlì) for Lily.
What does 萝莉 mean in modern Chinese?
萝莉 (luólì) is internet slang borrowed from Lolita. It describes a young, cute girl or a cute girlish style, and it is used casually online.