绿 (lù) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

绿

lù[lu4]Tone 4

green

HSK 2

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綠

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · green

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The left silk radical (纟) should be compressed to take up about one-third of the width, leaving the right side (录) wider and balanced.

Simplification Logic: The traditional component 糸 was simplified to 纟, reducing stroke complexity while retaining the silk thread semantic category.

1. Meaning

green

used in names

AdjectiveNeutral#color#nature

Sample Usage

绿茶
lǜchá
green tea
绿色
lǜsè
green color

2. Sound

/[ly˥˩]/Tone: 51

绿

lùlu4

`(51)

=lù

Initial Consonant

Type: Alveolar Lateral

Sounds like: l sound

Unaspirated

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

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge behind upper front teeth.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -u vowel group

Sounds like: French 'u' or German 'ü'

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

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

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, similar to a sharp command like 'No!'

👂

Listening trap: English speakers often substitute the rounded 'u' with an English 'oo' or 'u' sound (like in 'lu'), missing the front-rounded French-style 'ü' vowel.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, definitive nod downwards, matching the high-to-low dropping pitch of Tone 4.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left silk radical (纟) should be compressed to take up about one-third of the width, leaving the right side (录) wider and balanced.

Simplification Logic: The traditional component 糸 was simplified to 纟, reducing stroke complexity while retaining the silk thread semantic category.

4. Components

Radical 纟 · Silk Radical (silk thread, textiles)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 纟 (indicates textiles, originally referring to green silk threads)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 录 (original sound: lù)

Silk thread (纟) combined with the phonetic element 'record/scoop out' (录) gives the sense of dyed green silk threads.

纟 silk thread radical
录 phonetic and structural component meaning to record or scoop

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

8· Phonetic Root: 录 (lù)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally formed to describe dark or green silk fabrics, combining the silk radical (糸) for material and 录 for pronunciation.

Semantic Evolution: Expanded from specifically describing green silk threads to general green color across all objects.

In ancient times, green was considered a secondary color, but it gained immense cultural prominence in tea culture and modern environmentalism.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

lục

Corresponds to the Vietnamese nặng tone or glottal stop depending on historical readings.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ロク (roku) / Kun: みどり (midori)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

녹

Sound Shift Bridge: The initial 'l' and final vowel sound show regular phonetic correspondences across East Asian borrowings.

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine spinning fine SILK THREADS (纟) dipped in a magical green RECORD (录) book, dyeing everything vibrant GREEN.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

录

lùto record, write downBase phonetic component without the silk radical.

绿

lùgreenAdds the silk radical (纟) to denote green silk or color.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

录(lù)

Lacks the silk radical on the left side.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这件衣服是[___]色的。

Clue: lù

Common Learner Pitfall

Forgetting to round the lips for the 'ü' sound and pronouncing it like English 'lu' (loo), or missing the left silk radical when handwriting.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What color does the character 绿 represent?

Production: How do you write the character for 'green' using the silk radical?

绿lùgreen

Speed:

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