(lā) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order

garbage, refuse, trash, waste 8 strokes · Radical (soil) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)
👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 垃 when reading — handwriting it is not required (that applies to the 150 writing characters). The stroke animation below is optional but helps memory.

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced .

Stroke Order & Practice

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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
垃 — 8 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图(数字为下笔顺序)。

Decomposition

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

= left soil
right to stand

Radical

The radical of is — meaning soil. 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: .

How the character is built

is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component (earth) carries the meaning, while the phonetic component originally indicated the sound.

HSK 4 Words Containing 垃

lājī garbage; trash; rubbish
请把垃圾扔进垃圾桶。
Qǐng bǎ lājī rēng jìn lājītǒng.
Please throw the trash into the bin.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

appears in 13 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

这样做可以减少塑料袋的使用数量,降低白色圾带来的污染。
From Mock Exam 19 →

Tasks Featuring 垃 / 相关任务

Words containing appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 谈论生活中的环保情况
Environmental Protection · 垃圾

FAQ

What does 垃 mean in Chinese?

垃 (lā) means garbage, refuse, trash, waste. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 垃 have?

垃 is written in 8 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 垃?

The radical of 垃 is 土 (soil). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 基, 增, 堂, 土, 堵.

What is the pinyin for 垃?

垃 is pronounced lā.

What HSK 4 words use 垃?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 垃 appears in 1 word, including 垃圾 (lājī). See the full list above.

All Characters là →