老
Character learning workspace

lǎo · old, aged

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

HSK 2.0 · Level 3HSK 3.0 · Level 3Frequency #266
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Learn every stroke in 老

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 老 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Character anatomy

Understand the reusable parts

The decomposition shows how the visual pieces fit together, not necessarily the character’s historical origin.

Writing notes

Shape and proportion

6Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Upper-left enclosureCharacter structure

Keep the outer frame stable without crowding the enclosed strokes.

老Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 老 writing sheet

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 老

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

lǎoWords pronounced lǎo
Read and listen

Example sentences

Notice where 老 sits in each complete thought.

Nǐ shì yì míng hěn hǎo de lǎo shī.你是一名很好的老师。

You're a very good teacher.

Source: Tatoeba #8934218 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zhège lǎo rén yì zhī yǎn kàn bú jiàn le.这个老人一只眼看不见了。

The old man is blind in one eye.

Source: Tatoeba #2031478 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ réng shì zhè lǐ de lǎo bǎn.我仍是这里的老板。

I'm still the boss here.

Source: Tatoeba #3770552 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ bù xiǎng zuò nǐ lǎo pó le.我不想做你老婆了。

I no longer wish to be your wife.

Source: Tatoeba #8511421 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Bú shì měi gè rén dōu shì lǎo shí de.不是每个人都是老实的。

Not everyone is honest.

Source: Tatoeba #375306 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā shì gè hěn hǎo de lǎo shī.他是个很好的老师。

He is a very good teacher.

Source: Tatoeba #2118229 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 老 in context

  1. Say lǎo, then recall the core meaning: old, aged.
  2. Write all 6 strokes while keeping the upper-left enclosure balanced.
  3. Use it in 老师 (lǎo shī), meaning “teacher”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 老 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.