遢 meaning and stroke order
Careless, negligent, slipshod
How to write 遢, 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 遢
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 邋遢[la1 ta5]
- Taiwan pr. [ta4]
How 遢 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Walk.
辶 gives the meaning and 日 hints at the sound.
Radical: 辶 (to walk), shared by 131 characters on this site.
How to remember 遢
Picture someone walking (辶) out under the sun (日) with feathers (羽) sticking out of their messy hair. That scruffy walker is 遢, the second half of 邋遢 (lāta), unkempt.
遢 almost never appears alone. It lives inside the word 邋遢 (lāta), which describes a person, room, or habit that is sloppy or messy. Example: 他的房间很邋遢。(Tā de fángjiān hěn lāta.) His room is very messy.
Common mistake: Learners often read 遢 with a full fourth tone in 邋遢. In mainland speech it is usually neutral tone, lāta, while tà is the Taiwan pronunciation. Also check the inside of the character: 日 sits on top of 羽, so don't write just 羽 or swap the order.
Common words with 遢
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 邋遢 | lāta | unkempt |
Questions about 遢
How many strokes are in 遢?
遢 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 遢 mean?
遢 (tà) means careless, negligent, slipshod. A common word with it is 邋遢 (lāta), meaning "unkempt".
How do you pronounce 遢?
遢 is pronounced tà, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 遢?
The radical of 遢 is 辶, which carries the idea of "to walk". Dictionaries list 遢 under this radical.
Is 邋遢 an insult?
It is a mild criticism, similar to calling someone sloppy or a slob in English. Friends and parents use it casually, but it can sound rude if you say it to a stranger.
Can 邋遢 describe things as well as people?
Yes. You can say a person, their clothes, or a place is 邋遢. For example, 穿得很邋遢 (chuān de hěn lāta) means dressed very sloppily.