How to write 路 (lù, “road”)

路 (lù), an HSK 2 character, means “road”, “journey” and “route”. It is HSK 2 in the 2025 syllabus, up from level 1 in the 2021 standard. It pairs a meaning part, 足 (“sufficient”), with a sound part, 各 (“each”). On its own it is an HSK 2 word; it also forms 路上 (“on the road”), 走路 (“to walk”) and 路口 (“crossing”). Japanese reads it ro, “path”, as a JLPT N3 kanji.

Pinyin: lù
Strokes: 13
HSK: 2
Radical: 足 (“sufficient”)

Stroke by stroke

As a left-right character it splits into 足 (“sufficient”, the radical), strokes 1–7; 各 (“each”), strokes 8–13, written the left part first.

top leftdownwards
top leftrightwards → down and left
leftrightwards
leftdownwards
leftrightwards
leftdownwards
bottom leftrightwards
topdown and left
toprightwards → down and left
topdown and right
bottomdownwards
bottomrightwards → down and left
bottomrightwards

Names of the strokes

Japanese and Chinese

The two models differ in shape, so our comparison does not claim an order; compare the numbered frames yourself (13 strokes in Japanese, 13 strokes in Chinese).

Japanese · KanjiVG · 13 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 13 strokes

Where 路 comes from

foot

Meaning part: 足 (“sufficient”)
Sound part: 各 (“each”)

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Pinyin and meaning

Pinyin	Meanings	Traditional	In words
lù fourth tone	road; journey; route; line (bus etc); sort; kind	—	路上走路路口路边

HSK 2025 syllabus: level 2
2021 standard: level 1
HSK 2.0: in a level 2 word
Words with it: 273 in CC-CEDICT

Words with 路

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
路	lù	road; journey HSK 2
路上	lùshang	on the road; on the way HSK 2
走路	zǒulù	to walk; to go on foot HSK 2
路口	lùkǒu	crossing; intersection HSK 3
路边路邊	lùbiān	curb; roadside HSK 3
马路馬路	mǎlù	street; road HSK 3
公路	gōnglù	highway; road HSK 4
道路	dàolù	road; path HSK 4
十字路口	shízìlùkǒu	crossroads; intersection HSK 4
路过路過	lùguò	to pass by; to pass through HSK 4

HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several characters: worksheet maker.

Keep going

HSK 2, in list order: