路 meaning and stroke order
Road (CL:條|条[tiao2]); journey; route
How to write 路, stroke by stroke
13 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 路
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- road (CL:條|条[tiao2])
- journey
- route
- line (bus etc)
- sort; kind
How 路 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Foot.
足 gives the meaning and 各 hints at the sound.
Radical: 足 (foot), shared by 119 characters on this site.
How to remember 路
On the left is 足 (zú), the foot, squeezed narrow as ⻊. On the right is 各 (gè), meaning each, and it gives the sound. Picture each person's feet walking along a road.
路 (lù) means road or route, and it also names bus lines, as in 3路车 (sān lù chē), the number 3 bus. It appears in many everyday words like 马路 (mǎlù) and 走路 (zǒulù). Example: 我走路去学校。(Wǒ zǒulù qù xuéxiào.) I walk to school.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the full 足 on the left instead of the narrow form ⻊, whose bottom becomes a rising stroke. Another common slip is reading it as lǜ or lú. It is fourth tone, lù, the same as 鹿 (lù, deer).
Common words with 路
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 路上 | lùshang | on the road; on the way; en route | HSK 1 |
| 走路 | zǒulù | to walk; to go on foot; to leave; to depart | HSK 1 |
| 马路 | mǎlù | street; road | HSK 1 |
| 路口 | lùkǒu | crossing; intersection (of roads) | HSK 1 |
| 道路 | dàolù | road; path | HSK 2 |
| 公路 | gōnglù | highway; road | HSK 2 |
| 路边 | lù biān | curb; roadside; wayside | HSK 2 |
| 一路顺风 | yīlù-shùnfēng | to have a pleasant journey (idiom) | HSK 2 |
| 一路平安 | yīlù-píng'ān | to have a pleasant journey; Bon voyage! | HSK 2 |
| 问路 | wènlù | to ask for directions; to ask the way (to some place) | HSK 2 |
| 铁路 | tiělù | railroad; railway | HSK 3 |
| 路线 | lùxiàn | itinerary; route | HSK 3 |
| 高速公路 | gāosù gōnglù | expressway; highway; freeway | HSK 3 |
| 一路 | yīlù | the whole journey; all the way | HSK 5 |
路 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 路
Learning 路 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 路
How many strokes are in 路?
路 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 路 mean?
路 (lù) means road (CL:條|条[tiao2]); journey; route. A common word with it is 路上 (lùshang), meaning "on the road; on the way; en route".
How do you pronounce 路?
路 is pronounced lù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 路?
The radical of 路 is 足, which carries the idea of "foot". Dictionaries list 路 under this radical.
Is 路 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 路 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
How do you say 'on the way' in Chinese with 路?
Use 路上 (lùshang), as in 我在路上。(Wǒ zài lùshang.) I'm on my way. It is very common when telling someone you are coming.
What does 一路顺风 mean and when do you say it?
一路顺风 (yīlù-shùnfēng) means have a smooth journey. You say it to someone who is leaving on a trip, much like 'have a safe trip' in English.