Meaning of 里
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- lining
- interior
- inside
- internal
- also written 裏|里[li3]
- li, ancient measure of length, approx. 500 m
- neighborhood
- ancient administrative unit of 25 families
- (Tw) borough, administrative unit between the township 鎮|镇[zhen4] and neighborhood 鄰|邻[lin2] levels
- variant of 裡|里[li3]
- surname Li
How to use 里
里 usually follows a noun to mean "in" or "inside," and in this use it is often said with a neutral tone, as in 家里 (jiā li). It also forms place words like 这里 (zhèlǐ) and 哪里 (nǎlǐ). Example: 书在包里。(Shū zài bāo li.) The book is in the bag.
Picture 里 (lǐ) as a field 田 sitting on top of earth 土, like a village of farm plots. A village is where people live inside, so 里 means both a neighborhood and the inside of something.
Common mistake: Learners often put 里 before the noun, as in English "in the bag," but Chinese says 在包里 (zài bāo li), with 里 at the end. Also do not confuse 里 with 理 (lǐ, reason, logic), which adds the jade radical 王 on the left.
里 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.
里 lǐ · lining · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 里.
Questions about 里
What does 里 mean?
里 (lǐ) means "lining; interior" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 里?
里 is made of 1 character: 里 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 里 an HSK word?
Yes. 里 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 里 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 里 is written 裡|裏.
What is the difference between 里 and 内 for "inside"?
里 is the everyday word and attaches to nouns, as in 房间里 (fángjiān li), in the room. 内 (nèi) is more formal or written, as in 国内 (guónèi), domestic.
How long is one 里 as a distance?
As a traditional unit of length, one 里 is about 500 meters. You still see it in phrases like 公里 (gōnglǐ), which means kilometer.