(liú)

HSK 210 strokes

to flow

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
liú
Meaning
to flow; to disseminate; to circulate or spread; to move or drift; to degenerate; to banish or send into exile; stream of water or sth resembling one; class, rate or grade
Strokes
10
HSK level
HSK 2
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where comes from and how its parts fit together.

Phonetic-semantic compound⿰氵㐬

In this compound, the meaning comes from (water); supplies the sound.

One part carries the meaning, the other suggests the sound.

Made of

Parts are arranged left to right.

How to write step by step

10 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10

Words with

Common words using — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

jiāoliú
HSK 3

to exchange

Open 交流 page →
liú
HSK 5

top quality; front ranking

Open 一流 page →
zhǔliú
HSK 6

main stream (of a river)

Open 主流 page →
shàngliú
HSK 7-9

upper class

Open 上流 page →
sānliú

third-rate; inferior

Open 三流 page →

the Three Religions (Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism) and Nine Schools (Confucians, Daoi…

Open 三教九流 page →
xiàliú

lower course of a river

Open 下流 page →

Related characters

Ready to master 流?

Trace 流 stroke by stroke in the online practice tool, or turn it into a printable worksheet PDF with Tianzige practice grids, pinyin, and stroke-order breakdowns.