How to write 了 (le, “completed action marker”)
了, an HSK 1 character, is read le for “completed action marker” and “modal particle”, and also liǎo (“to finish”). As a top-bottom character it splits into 乛 (“kwukyel”), stroke 1; 亅 (“hook”, the radical), stroke 2, written the top first. Its 2 strokes put it among the simplest at HSK 1. On its own it is an HSK 1 word; it also forms 为了 (“for”), 了解 (“to understand”) and 除了 (“apart from”). Japanese reads it ryou, “complete”, as a JLPT N2 kanji.
- Pinyin
- le, liǎo
- Strokes
- 2
- HSK
- 1
- Radical
- 亅 (“hook”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- Horizontal then left-falling ㇇top leftrightwards → down and left
- Curved hook ㇁topdownwards → up and left
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 2 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
Trace it
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Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| le neutral tone | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) | — | 为了 除了 得了 算了 |
| liǎo third tone | to finish; (used with 得 (dé) or 不 (bù) after a verb to express (im)possibility, as in 忘不了 (wàngbuliǎo) "cannot forget"); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly; (literary) (usually followed by a negative such as 无 (wú) or 不 (bù)) completely (not); entirely (not); (not) in the least | — | 了解 受不了 不得了 了不起 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 1
- 2021 standard
- level 1
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 1 word
- Words with it
- 114 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 了
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 了 | le | completed action marker; modal particle indicating change of state… HSK 1 |
| 为了 為了 | wèile | for; for the purpose of HSK 3 |
| 了解 | liǎojiě | to understand; to know about HSK 3 |
| 除了 | chúle | apart from; besides HSK 3 |
| 受不了 | shòubuliǎo | unbearable; unable to endure HSK 4 |
| 不得了 | bùdéliǎo | desperately serious; disastrous HSK 5 |
| 了不起 | liǎobuqǐ | amazing; terrific HSK 5 |
| 得了 | déle | all right!; that's enough! HSK 6 |
| 算了 | suànle | let it be; let it pass HSK 6 |
| 大不了 | dàbuliǎo | at worst; if worst comes to worst HSK 7-9 |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
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Contain it:
HSK 1, in list order: