罗 (luó) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

罗

luó[luo2]Tone 2

gauze, net, to collect

HSK 7

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羅

Guru Deep Dive

English · gauze, net, to collect

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:8

Writing Balance Rule: The upper crown (网) should be broad and flat, sheltering the lower component (维 or similar phonetic elements) without making the character too top-heavy.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 羅 features a net over a bird/silk structure, simplified in mainland China to 罗 (combining 网 net and 夕 or a simplified phonetic).

1. Meaning

gauze or thin silk

net for catching birds or fishto collect, gather, or siftsurname Luo

Noun / VerbNeutral / Literary#textiles#gathering#nature

Sample Usage

天罗地网
tiān luó dì wǎng
inescapable dragnet (tight net from heaven and earth)
包罗万象
bāo luó wàn xiàng
all-embracing, covering everything

2. Sound

/[lu̯o³⁵]/Tone: 35

罗

luóluo2

´(35)

=luó

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

luo

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

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: Tip of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge just behind the upper front teeth.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: u-oh sound (similar to 'waw' or 'uo' in guo)

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

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 questioning tone in English (e.g., 'Huh?').

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the rising Tone 2 [luó] with Tone 4 [luò] or Tone 3 [luǒ]. Ensure the pitch clearly ends high.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 2 rises from mid to high like an inquiring 'What?' or a sharp upward sweep of the hand.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 8 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The upper crown (网) should be broad and flat, sheltering the lower component (维 or similar phonetic elements) without making the character too top-heavy.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 羅 features a net over a bird/silk structure, simplified in mainland China to 罗 (combining 网 net and 夕 or a simplified phonetic).

4. Components

Radical 网 · Net Radical (net, web, mesh)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 网 (Indicates a net or gauze fabric used for catching or sifting.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 维 (original sound: luó)

A net (网) spread out to catch or gather things (like butterflies or silk gauze).

罓 Net shape at the top
夕 Phonetic and structural base

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

8· Phonetic Root: 罗 (luó)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally depicted a net (网) used for catching birds, which extended to mean fine silk gauze resembling a mesh network.

Semantic Evolution: From physical bird-nets and silk gauze to abstract meanings of gathering, collecting, or encompassing everything.

Frequently used in classic Chinese literature to describe sheer fabrics or elaborate traps.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

Corresponds to the modern Vietnamese level/high tones depending on dialect context.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ラ (ra) / Kun: あみ (ami)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

라

Sound Shift Bridge: Shared East Asian cultural vocabulary root 'la/ra' derived from Middle Chinese.

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Picture a fisherman throwing a fine silk NET (网) out into the evening (夕) sky to COLLECT all the stars.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

逻

luópatrol+ 辶 (walking)

啰

luōused in 囉唆|啰唆[luo1 suo5] and 囉嗦|啰嗦[luo1 suo5]+ 口 (mouth)

萝

luóradish+ 艹 (plants)

椤

luósee 桫欏|桫椤[suo1 luo2]+ 木 (tree)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

维(wéi)

维 has a thread/silk radical on the left (纟), whereas 罗 has a net on top.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

孙悟空用金箍棒织成了一张天[___]地网。

Clue: luó

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone with Tone 4 (luò) in common idioms like 天罗地网, or mixing up its derivatives like 锣 (gong) and 萝 (vine).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 罗, what are its primary meanings related to fabrics and gathering?

Production: How do you write the character for 'net/gauze' (luó) with the net radical on top?

罗luógauze, net, to collect

Speed:

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