The character 留 — “stay”: how to write it and what it means
stay, leave behind
The Chinese character 留 is read liú and means “stay, leave behind”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 留
留 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 留, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 留 is made of
At the bottom, 田 “field”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 留
- 留学study abroadHSK 3
- 留学生international student; student abroadHSK 3
- 留下leave behind; stayHSK 4
- 留言leave a messageHSK 5
- 停留stay, stop overHSK 5
- 保留retain, preserveHSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 留?
留 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 留 mean?
留 means “stay, leave behind”. It appears in 留学 (“study abroad”), 留学生 (“international student”), 留下 (“leave behind”), 留言 (“leave a message”).
How do you pronounce 留?
留 is read liú. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 留 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 留 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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