The character 劳 — “labor”: how to write it and what it means

劳
láo

labor, work

7 strokes · HSK 5

The Chinese character 劳 is read láo and means “labor, work”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 劳

劳 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 劳, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 劳 is made of

At the bottom, 力 “strength”: labor takes strength.

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

Words with 劳

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 劳?

劳 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 劳 mean?

劳 means “labor, work”. It appears in 劳动 (“labor”), 疲劳 (“tired”), 勤劳 (“hardworking”), 劳动力 (“workforce”).

How do you pronounce 劳?

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

How many strokes does 劳 have?

7 strokes.

← 挣 earn艰 hard →

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 劳 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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