How to say “weak” in Chinese

弱
ruò

weak

adjective · HSK 5 · topic “Size, strength, degree”

“Weak” in Chinese is 弱, ruò: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

弱 is read ruò. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

ruò — 4th tonesharply falling, like “Stop!”

How to write it

弱
ruò — weak

Two identical halves side by side. The opposite of 强 “strong”.

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “弱”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 弱. Tap the sound icon to listen.

  • 这里信号很弱zhèlǐxìnhàohěnruòThe signal is weak here.
  • 生命是脆弱的shēngmìngshìcuìruòdeLife is fragile.
  • 听力是我最薄弱的环节。tīnglìshìwǒzuìbóruòdehuánjiéListening is my weakest link.

More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.

More words from the lesson “Strong and weak”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “weak” in Chinese?

“Weak” in Chinese is 弱, pinyin ruò.

What does 弱 mean?

弱 (ruò) means “weak”.

How do you write 弱?

弱 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 弱?

弱 is read ruò. Tones: ruò — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“weak” in the lesson “Strong and weak”

This word is from the topic “Size, strength, degree” of HSK 5. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

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