The character 辣 — “spicy”: how to write it and what it means

辣
là

spicy, hot

14 strokes · HSK 4 · word page

The Chinese character 辣 is read là and means “spicy, hot”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 辣

辣 has 14 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 辣, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 辣 is made of

On the left, 辛 “pungent, bitter” — as in 辛苦; on the right, 束.

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

Words with 辣

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 辣?

辣 has 14 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 辣 mean?

辣 means “spicy, hot”. It appears in 酸甜苦辣 (“joys and sorrows”), 辣椒 (“hot pepper”).

How do you pronounce 辣?

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

How many strokes does 辣 have?

14 strokes.

← 酸 sour咸 salty →

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 辣 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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