How to write 利 (lì) — Stroke Order, Radical & Practice

lì gains, advantage, profit, merit 7 strokes · Radical 刂 (knife) · HSK 4 required writing character

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced lì.

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
利 — 7 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图(数字为下笔顺序)。

Decomposition

利 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Left + Right. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

利 =
禾 left cereal
刂 right knife

Radical

The radical of 利 is 刂 — meaning knife. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: 划剧列判剩则.

How the character is built

利 is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. Harvesting 刂 grain 禾.

HSK 4 Words Containing 利

流利 liúlì fluent
她说中文说得非常流利。
Tā shuō Zhōngwén shuō de fēicháng liúlì.
She speaks Chinese very fluently.
顺利 shùnlì smooth; successful; without a hitch
祝你旅途顺利!
Zhù nǐ lǚtú shùnlì!
Wish you a smooth journey!

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

利 appears in 22 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

怎样才能说一口流利的外语呢?
From Mock Exam 01 →

FAQ

What does 利 mean in Chinese?

利 (lì) means gains, advantage, profit, merit. It is one of the 150 characters required for the HSK 4 writing section.

How many strokes does 利 have?

利 is written in 7 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 利?

The radical of 利 is 刂 (knife). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 划, 剧, 列, 判, 剩.

What is the pinyin for 利?

利 is pronounced lì.

What HSK 4 words use 利?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 利 appears in 2 words, including 流利 (liúlì), 顺利 (shùnlì). See the full list above.

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