⽼

old

lǎo (lao3)

Radical no. 125 · 6 strokes (第 125 部首 · 6 画 dì 125 bùshǒu · 6 huà)

Radical ⽼ (lǎo) — meaning: old, 6 strokes.

Origin & mnemonic

The "old" radical originates from a pictographic depiction of a person with white hair and a bent back. In early pictographic and seal-script forms, it represents the visual characteristics of an elderly person.

Mnemonic: Picture a person wearing a hat (top part) with a bent back and knowing wink—that's the hallmark of old age.

Characters with this radical (含此部首的字 hán cǐ bùshǒu de zì)

2 characters

Stroke count

All strokes1-3 strokes4-6 strokes7-10 strokes11+ strokes

Sort

Stroke count (default)FrequencyHSK levelRandom
  • 老lǎo

    prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity

    HSK 1

    6 strokes

  • 考kǎo

    to check

    HSK 1

    6 strokes

Related radicals (相关部首 xiāngguān bùshǒu)

Same stroke count or numerically adjacent in the 214-radical set.