The character 礼 — “ritual”: how to write it and what it means
ritual, courtesy
The Chinese character 礼 is read lǐ and means “ritual, courtesy”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 礼
礼 has 5 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 礼, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 礼 is made of
On the left, 礻 is a compressed “altar, ritual”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 礼
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 礼?
礼 has 5 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 礼 mean?
礼 means “ritual, courtesy”. It appears in 礼物 (“gift”), 礼貌 (“politeness”), 婚礼 (“wedding”), 典礼 (“ceremony”).
How do you pronounce 礼?
礼 is read lǐ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 礼 have?
5 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 礼 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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