The character 励 — “encourage”: how to write it and what it means

励
lì

encourage, inspire

7 strokes · HSK 4

The Chinese character 励 is read lì and means “encourage, inspire”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 励

励 has 7 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.

To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 励, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 励 is made of

On the left, 厉 lì hints at the sound; on the right, 力 “strength”.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 励

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 励?

励 has 7 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.

What does 励 mean?

励 means “encourage, inspire”. It appears in 鼓励 (“encourage”), 奖励 (“reward”), 激励 (“encourage”).

How do you pronounce 励?

励 is read lì. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 励 have?

7 strokes.

← 鼓 drum严 strict →

More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.

Write 励 yourself

In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.

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