The character 劣 — “bad”: how to write it and what it means

劣
liè

bad, inferior

6 strokes · HSK 6

The Chinese character 劣 is read liè and means “bad, inferior”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 劣

劣 has 6 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 劣, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 劣 is made of

On top, 少 “little”; below, 力 “strength”: little strength means weak, bad.

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

Words with 劣

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 劣?

劣 has 6 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 劣 mean?

劣 means “bad, inferior”. It appears in 恶劣 (“bad”).

How do you pronounce 劣?

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

How many strokes does 劣 have?

6 strokes.

← 罕 rare枯 withered →

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 劣 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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