铃 meaning and stroke order
(small) bell
How to write 铃, 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 铃
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (small) bell
How 铃 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Bell.
钅 gives the meaning and 令 hints at the sound.
Radical: 钅 (gold), shared by 223 characters on this site.
How to remember 铃
铃 combines 钅 (metal) with 令 (lìng), which gives the sound. Picture a small metal bell that rings out an order, 令, telling everyone to come.
铃 usually appears in compounds rather than alone, such as 门铃 (ménlíng, doorbell), 铃声 (língshēng, ringtone), and 铃铛 (língdang, little bell). Example: 门铃响了。 (Ménlíng xiǎng le.) The doorbell rang.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 铃 (líng) with 玲 (líng) or 怜 (lián), which share the 令 part but have a different left side. Only 铃 has the metal radical 钅, so use it for anything that is a bell.
Common words with 铃
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
铃 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 铃
How many strokes are in 铃?
铃 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 铃 mean?
铃 (líng) means (small) bell. A common word with it is 铃声 (língshēng), meaning "ring; ringtone".
How do you pronounce 铃?
铃 is pronounced líng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 铃?
The radical of 铃 is 钅, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 铃 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 铃?
The traditional form of 铃 is 鈴. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 铃 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 铃 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 铃 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 马铃薯 mean potato if 铃 means bell?
In 马铃薯 (mǎlíngshǔ), 马铃 means a bell hung on a horse, and the potato was named for looking like one. In daily speech many people simply say 土豆 (tǔdòu) for potato.
How do I say a phone is ringing or talk about ringtones?
A ringtone is 铃声 (língshēng), as in 换个铃声 (huàn ge língshēng, change the ringtone). For a phone ringing, people usually say 电话响了 (diànhuà xiǎng le).