雷 meaning and stroke order
Thunder; surname
How to write 雷, 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 雷
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- thunder
- (bound form) (military) mine, as in 地雷[di4 lei2] land mine
- (coll.) to shock; to stun; to astound
- (Tw) (coll.) spoiler
- (Tw) (coll.) to reveal plot details to (sb)
How 雷 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A storm 雨 over the fields 田.
Radical: 雨 (rain), shared by 42 characters on this site.
How to remember 雷
Picture a storm of rain 雨 (yǔ) crashing down over the fields 田 (tián). Rain over open fields brings thunder, so 雷 (léi) means thunder.
雷 appears in weather talk like 打雷 (dǎléi) and 雷电 (léidiàn), and in military words for explosives such as 地雷 (dìléi) land mine and 鱼雷 (yúléi) torpedo. In casual speech it can also mean to shock or stun someone. Example: 外面在打雷。(Wàimiàn zài dǎléi.) It is thundering outside.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the bottom part as 田 with a tail or swap in 由, but it is a plain closed 田. Also note the rain radical on top is squashed, with its last strokes shortened, not the full-size 雨.
Common words with 雷
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 打雷 | dǎléi | to rumble with thunder; clap of thunder | HSK 4 |
| 雷同 | léitóng | mirroring others; identical | HSK 7-9 |
| 布雷 | bùléi | to lay mines | |
| 雷达 | léidá | (loanword) radar | |
| 鱼雷 | yúléi | torpedo | |
| 地雷 | dìléi | land mine (CL:顆|颗[ke1]); (fig.) sore point; weak spot | |
| 雷电 | léidiàn | thunder and lightning | |
| 雷射 | léishè | laser (loanword used in Taiwan); also written 鐳射|镭射 | |
| 雷霆 | léitíng | sound of thunder | |
| 大发雷霆 | dàfāléitíng | to be furious; to fly into a terrible rage | |
| 雷管 | léiguǎn | detonator; fuse | |
| 手雷 | shǒuléi | grenade | |
| 雷声 | léishēng | thunder | |
| 雷区 | léiqū | minefield (lit. and fig.) |
雷 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 雷
Learning 雷 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 雷
How many strokes are in 雷?
雷 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 雷 mean?
雷 (léi) means thunder; surname. A common word with it is 打雷 (dǎléi), meaning "to rumble with thunder; clap of thunder".
How do you pronounce 雷?
雷 is pronounced léi, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 雷?
The radical of 雷 is 雨, which carries the idea of "rain". Dictionaries list 雷 under this radical.
Is 雷 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 雷 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What does 雷 mean in internet slang?
In mainland slang, 雷 or 雷人 (léirén) describes something so shocking or absurd that it stuns you, like being struck by thunder. In Taiwan, 雷 can also mean a spoiler, and 爆雷 means to spoil a plot.
Why is 雷 used in 雷达 and 雷同?
In 雷达 (léidá, radar) it is chosen mainly for its sound as a loanword. In 雷同 (léitóng) the idea is that everything echoes alike, so it means copying others or being identical.