遛 (liù) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

遛

liù[liu4]Tone 4

to stroll, to walk an animal

HSK 7

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to stroll, to walk an animal

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:13

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (走) forms the running base, while the right component (留) is neatly stacked and balanced so the character does not lean too far to either side.

1. Meaning

to stroll, to take a walk

to walk an animal (such as a dog or bird)

VerbColloquial#movement#daily activities#pets

Sample Usage

我每天傍晚都去遛弯儿。
Wǒ měitiān bàngwǎn dōu qù liùwār.
I go for a stroll every evening.
吃完饭后，他在公园遛狗。
Chī wán fàn hòu, tā zài gōngyuán liù gǒu.
After finishing dinner, he walks his dog in the park.

2. Sound

/[li̯oʊ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51

遛

liùliu4

`(51)

=liù

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

liu

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "u" per the side-by-side rule (in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

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 the upper teeth.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: yoo / io sound

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

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

Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: iu is short for iou

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 saying a firm 'No!' in English.

👂

Listening trap: Often confused with Tone 4 of similar finals or mistaken for Tone 2 (liú) due to rapid colloquial speech.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A swift, sharp chop downward with your hand, mirroring an authoritative drop from high to low.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 13 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (走) forms the running base, while the right component (留) is neatly stacked and balanced so the character does not lean too far to either side.

4. Components

Radical 辶 · Movement Radical (Walking, motion, or movement along a path)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 辶 (Indicates movement, walking, or strolling.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 留 (original sound: liú)

You take a walking path (辶) while you STAY (留) out for a leisurely stroll with your pet.

辶 Movement or walking
留 Phonetic clue for 'liú/liù'

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

10· Phonetic Root: 留 (liú)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the walking radical (辶) indicating motion and (留) providing the phonetic reading, capturing the idea of moving about at a leisurely pace.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referring generally to wandering or walking around, it modernly specializes in casual strolling and walking pets.

The addition of the movement radical transformed the stationary idea of '留' (to stay) into the active concept of moving around leisurely.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You wanted to STAY (留) inside, but your energetic dog forced you out onto the walking path (辶) to go for a brisk STROLL (遛).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

留

liúold variant of 留[liu2]Phonetic Core (声旁)

溜

liūto slip away+ 氵 (water)

瘤

liútumor+ 疒 (sickness)

榴

liúpomegranate+ 木 (tree)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

留(liú)

留 means to stay or keep, whereas 遛 has the walking radical (辶) indicating movement outside.

流(liú)

流 features the water radical (氵) meaning to flow, completely distinct from walking.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

晚饭后，爷爷常常去公园[___]弯儿。

Clue: liù

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 遛 (liù, to stroll) with 留 (liú, to stay) due to the identical phonetic component.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 遛 mean and how do you pronounce it with tone?

Production: How do you write the character for walking an animal or strolling, and what is its Pinyin?

遛liùto stroll, to walk an animal

Speed:

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