The character 流 — “flow”: how to write it and what it means
flow; stream
The Chinese character 流 is read liú and means “flow; stream”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 流
流 has 10 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 流, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 流 is made of
On the left, 氵 — “water”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 流
- 交流communicate, exchangeHSK 4
- 流利fluent, fluentlyHSK 4
- 流行be in fashion; popularHSK 4
- 流感fluHSK 5
- 河流riversHSK 5
- 流传be handed down (through generations)HSK 5
- 流程procedure, process (flow)HSK 6
- 轮流take turns, alternateHSK 6
- 流通circulate (goods, money)HSK 6
- 水流current, stream of waterHSK 6
- 流量traffic (data); flow rateHSK 6
- 流动flow; move around, mobileHSK 6
- 流入flow inHSK 6
- 潮流current; trendHSK 6
- 主流mainstreamHSK 6
- 一流first-classHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 流?
流 has 10 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 流 mean?
流 means “flow; stream”. It appears in 交流 (“communicate”), 流利 (“fluent”), 流行 (“be in fashion”), 流感 (“flu”).
How do you pronounce 流?
流 is read liú. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 流 have?
10 strokes.
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 流 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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