裡 meaning and stroke order
Unit of distance equal to 0.5km; village; lane
How to write 裡, stroke by stroke
12 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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- 12
Meaning of 裡
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- lining
- interior
- inside
- internal
- also written 裏|里[li3]
How 裡 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Unit of measure for farm 田 land 土; 衤 provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 衤 (cloth), shared by 72 characters on this site.
How to remember 裡
裡 is the clothing radical 衤 next to 里 (lǐ), which gives the sound. Think of the lining sewn on the inside of a garment, and you have the meaning "inside."
裡 is the traditional form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong for "inside," and it often follows a noun to mark location, like 家裡 (jiā li, at home) or 心裡 (xīnlǐ, in one's heart). Example: 他在房間裡看書。(Tā zài fángjiān lǐ kàn shū.) He is reading in the room.
Common mistake: Learners often write 衣 or 礻 (the spirit radical) instead of 衤 on the left. 衤 has an extra short stroke at the bottom right, and that stroke separates it from 礻. In location words like 家裡 (jiā li) and 手裡 (shǒu li), 裡 is usually said in the neutral tone, so do not stress it as a full third tone.
Common words with 裡
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 這裡 | zhèlǐ | here | HSK 1 |
| 家裡 | jiā li | home | HSK 1 |
| 裡邊 | lǐbian | inside | HSK 1 |
| 心裡 | xīnlǐ | chest; heart; mind | HSK 2 |
| 裡頭 | lǐtou | inside; interior | HSK 2 |
| 夜裡 | yèlǐ | during the night; at night | HSK 2 |
| 裡面 | lǐmiàn | inside; interior | HSK 3 |
| 手裡 | shǒu li | in hand; (a situation is) in sb's hands | HSK 4 |
| 眼裡 | yǎnli | HSK 4 | |
| 城裡 | chénglǐ | HSK 5 | |
| 懷裡 | huái li | embrace; bosom | HSK 7-9 |
| 心裡話 | xīnlǐhuà | (to express one's) true feelings; what is on one's mind | HSK 7-9 |
| 暗地裡 | àndìlǐ | secretly; inwardly; on the sly | HSK 7-9 |
| 嘴裡 | zuǐlǐ | mouth; in the mouth |
Questions about 裡
How many strokes are in 裡?
裡 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 裡 mean?
裡 (lǐ) means unit of distance equal to 0.5km; village; lane. A common word with it is 这里 (zhèlǐ), meaning "here".
How do you pronounce 裡?
裡 is pronounced lǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 裡?
The radical of 裡 is 衤, which carries the idea of "cloth". Dictionaries list 裡 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 裡?
裡 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 里, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 裡, 裏, and 里?
裡 and 裏 are two traditional spellings of the same word meaning "inside." 裡 is the more common one in Taiwan. In simplified Chinese both merge into 里, which also keeps its own meanings of "village" and the distance unit, and traditional texts always write those meanings as 里.
Do I always need 裡 after a place noun?
With ordinary nouns like 房間 (fángjiān, room) or 盒子 (hézi, box) you usually add 裡 to mean "in." With country and city names you leave it out, so you say 在台灣 (zài Táiwān), not 在台灣裡.