楼 (lóu) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

楼

lóu[lou2]Tone 2

storied building

HSK 1

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樓

Guru Deep Dive

English · storied building

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:13

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (木) should be narrower and slightly higher, while the right component (娄) is broader and anchors the baseline.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 樓 uses 婁 on the right, which was kept structurally identical in simplified Chinese but overall stroke style conforms to modern standard script.

1. Meaning

multi-story building or floor

surname Loutower

NounNeutral#architecture#buildings#housing

Sample Usage

这座楼很高。
Zhè zuò lóu hěn gāo.
This building is very tall.
他在二楼工作。
Tā zài èr lóu gōngzuò.
He works on the second floor.

2. Sound

/[loʊ̯³⁵]/Tone: 35

楼

lóulou2

´(35)

=lóu

Initial Consonant

Type: Alveolar Lateral

Sounds like: English l sound

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Air flows freely around both sides of tongue.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tip of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge right behind upper front teeth while voicing.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: -ou rhymes with oh

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oh'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T2 (35)

3 → 5 (35)

2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises like a surprised question in English, e.g., 'Huh?' or 'Really?'

Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2, it shifts slightly, but remains fundamentally a rising tone.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse it with Tone 4 (lòù) or Tone 3 (lǒu); ensure the pitch rises clearly from middle to high.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand sweep starting mid-chest and moving sharply up to the right, matching a questioning nod upwards.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 13 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (木) should be narrower and slightly higher, while the right component (娄) is broader and anchors the baseline.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 樓 uses 婁 on the right, which was kept structurally identical in simplified Chinese but overall stroke style conforms to modern standard script.

4. Components

Radical 木 · Wood Radical (tree, wood)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 木 (Indicates that a storied building is originally constructed from wood.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 娄 (original sound: lóu)

A storied building (樓) is built out of wood (木) stacked high like woven layers (娄).

木 Wood / building material semantic clue
娄 Lóu phonetic sound indicator

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

19· Phonetic Root: 娄 (lóu)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally, buildings were made of wood (木), and the phonetic component 娄 provided the sound lóu while suggesting height or stacked tiers.

Semantic Evolution: From ancient wooden watchtowers and multi-story pavilions to modern high-rise apartments and office floors.

Multi-story wooden structures were architectural feats in ancient China, symbolizing prestige and elevation.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

lâu

Matches the high rising or dipping register depending on historical reading layers, cognate to words like cao lâu.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ロウ (rou) / Kun: たかどの (takadono)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

루

Sound Shift Bridge: The historical sound root 'lou/rou/lu' is preserved across East Asian Sinitic loans.

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine standing next to a tall building made entirely of WOOD (木) where you rent a room and shout 'LOUD! (lóu)' out the second-story window to your friend below.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

数

shùnumberUses striking/folding components on the left instead of wood.

楼

lóubuildingUses wood (木) on the left to indicate a wooden building structure.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

数(shù)

数 has a woman/folding hand component on the left, whereas 楼 has wood (木).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我家住在三[___]。

Clue: lóu

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone and writing the right-side phonetic component 娄 incorrectly by messing up the middle women-like strokes.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 楼, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?

Production: How do you write the Chinese character for a multi-story building (lóu)?

楼lóustoried building

Speed:

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