Meaning of 辣
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- hot (spicy)
- pungent
- (of chili pepper, raw onions etc) to sting
- to burn
- old variant of 辣[la4]
How to use 辣
辣 (là) describes spicy heat in food and the stinging feeling from chili, raw onion or garlic. It also appears in many food words like 辣椒 (làjiāo, chili pepper) and 麻辣 (málà, hot and numbing). Example: 这个菜太辣了。(Zhège cài tài là le.) This dish is too spicy.
The left side 辛 (xīn) means pungent or bitter, so 辣 carries that sharp, stinging taste in its shape. Picture the 辛 side burning your tongue to remember 辣 (là), spicy.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 辣 (là) with 热 (rè). 热 means hot in temperature, so a spicy dish is 辣, not 热. Also watch the left side, which is 辛, not 立 alone or 幸.
辣 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
辣 là · hot · 14 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 辣.
| 酸甜苦辣 | suān-tián-kǔ-là | (lit.) sour, sweet, bitter and spicy (idiom); (fig.) all kinds of flavors; the joys and so |
| 辣椒 | làjiāo | hot pepper; chili |
| 麻辣 | málà | hot and numbing |
| 火辣辣 | huǒlàlà | scorching hot; (of a burn or other injury) painful; burning |
| 辣妹 | làmèi | hot chick; sexy girl |
| 火辣 | huǒlà | painful heat; scorching |
| 心狠手辣 | xīnhěnshǒulà | (idiom) vicious; merciless |
| 红辣椒 | hónglàjiāo | hot red pepper; chili |
| 辣椒酱 | làjiāojiàng | red pepper paste; chili sauce |
Questions about 辣
What does 辣 mean?
辣 (là) means "hot (spicy); pungent" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 辣?
辣 is made of 1 character: 辣 (14 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 辣 an HSK word?
Yes. 辣 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say I can't eat spicy food in Chinese?
Say 我不能吃辣 (wǒ bù néng chī là) or 我不吃辣 (wǒ bù chī là). In a restaurant you can also ask for 不要辣 (bú yào là), no spice, or 微辣 (wēi là), mildly spicy.
Can 辣 describe a person?
Yes, informally. 辣妹 (làmèi) means a hot, sexy girl, and 火辣 (huǒlà) can describe a fiery or sexy look. It can also suggest someone is sharp or ruthless, as in 心狠手辣 (xīn hěn shǒu là), cruel and vicious.