The character 老 — “old”: how to write it and what it means
old, respected
The Chinese character 老 is read lǎo and means “old, respected”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 老
老 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 老, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
Words with 老
- 老师teacherHSK 1
- 老人elderly personHSK 3
- 老年old ageHSK 4
- 老家hometown (where one is from)HSK 4
- 老是always, all the timeHSK 4
- 老虎tigerHSK 4
- 老公husband (colloq.)HSK 5
- 老婆wife (colloq.)HSK 5
- 老板boss, ownerHSK 5
- 古老ancient, age-oldHSK 5
- 老百姓ordinary peopleHSK 5
- 养老provide for old ageHSK 6
- 衰老decrepit; ageHSK 6
- 老实honest, meekHSK 6
- 老鼠mouse, ratHSK 6
- 老太太old ladyHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 老?
老 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 老 mean?
老 means “old, respected”. It appears in 老师 (“teacher”), 老人 (“elderly person”), 老年 (“old age”), 老家 (“hometown”).
How do you pronounce 老?
老 is read lǎo. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 老 have?
6 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 老 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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