HanziGuru.类 · lèi
类
lèi[lei4]Tone 4

kind, type, category

HSK 3
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類
Guru Deep Dive

English · kind, type, category

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:9
Writing Balance Rule: The upper component (米) should be compressed slightly to leave ample room for the complex lower component (犬)
Simplification Logic: Simplified from 類 by replacing the complex traditional parts with simplified glyph components while retaining the phonetic and structural essence.
1. Meaning

kind, type, class, category

classifier for kinds, types, or categoriesto resemble or be similar to
Noun / Classifier / VerbNeutral#classification#qualities#similarity
Sample Usage
  • 这是一种新型类产品。
    Zhè shì yī zhǒng xīn xíng lèi chǎnpǐn.
    This is a new type of product.
  • 他们属于同一类。
    Tāmen shǔyú tóng yī lèi.
    They belong to the same category.
2. Sound
/[leɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51
类
lèilei4
++
`(51)
=lèi
Initial Consonant
l
Type: Alveolar Lateral
Sounds like: l sound as in 'love'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Air flows freely around both sides of tongue.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth while air escapes around the sides.
Final Rhyme
ei
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: -ei rhymes with 'lay'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high (5) and drops sharply to the bottom (1), similar to an emphatic English command like 'Go!'
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 4 syllable, the dipping contour may become shorter and sharper, though the overall falling direction remains unchanged.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing Tone 4 (lèi) with Tone 2 (léi) or Tone 3 (lěi). Ensure the pitch starts high and drops immediately rather than rising or dipping.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A swift, decisive downward chop with the hand, mirroring a stern 'No!' or a sharp drop in pitch.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 9 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The upper component (米) should be compressed slightly to leave ample room for the complex lower component (犬)

Simplification Logic: Simplified from 類 by replacing the complex traditional parts with simplified glyph components while retaining the phonetic and structural essence.

4. Components

Radical 页 · Page / Head Radical (Head, leaf, page, or classification category)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 犬 (Indicates hounds or animal breeds, which historically formed the basis of grouping and categorization.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 米 (original sound: mǐ / lèi sound loan phonetic influence)

A rice plant (米) above a dog (犬) under a head/page radical (页) symbolizes organizing different breeds and grains into neat categories.

  • 米 Rice / grains
  • 大 Big
  • 犬 Dog / beast
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally formed to denote canine breeds and species, combining elements of animals and sorting criteria, which later broadened to mean any kind or category.

Semantic Evolution: From specific animal breeds (hounds) to general categories, classes, and types of things.

  • Ancient classifications often began with categorizing livestock and hound breeds.
  • The character bridges the physical grouping of items with abstract categorization.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
loại
Mandarin Tone 4 corresponds roughly to Vietnamese nặng or sắc depending on historical developments.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ルイ / Kun: たぐい
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
류
Sound Shift Bridge: Mandarin 'lèi' aligns with Sino-Xenic readings like 'rui' / 'ryu' / 'loại'.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

To categorize every TYPE (lèi) of grain (米) and DOG (犬), you list them page by page in your notebook (页).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
累
lèitired, wearyUses 田 on top instead of 米.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
累(lèi)
累 (tired) has 'field' (田) on top; 类 (type) has 'rice' (米) on top.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
这[___] Màièu 的书非常受欢迎。
Clue: lèi
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the top component rice (米) with field (田), which turns the character into '累' (tired).

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 类, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the character for 'kind / type' (lèi)?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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