乐 (lè) is a Chinese character meaning “happy”. It is written from 丿 (left-falling stroke) and ㇗ (vertical-turning stroke) and 小 (small), and takes 5 strokes. It has a second reading, yuè, which turns up in 音乐 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “happy”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丿 + ㇗ + 小
Overlapping structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：第 1 笔为撇「丿」，第 2 笔为竖折「㇗」，第 3–5 笔与「小」逐笔一致）
Memory aid
A sweep of the hand (丿) plucks over the turning bar (㇗), and three small (小) strings ring out underneath — music, and the joy it brings.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 快乐kuài lèhappy乐 = lèHSK 1
- 俱乐部jù lè bùclub (social or sports club)乐 = lè
- 娱乐yú lèentertainment; to amuse乐 = lè
Go deeper
All readings
happy
happy; joyful; glad; to enjoy
快活；高兴。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 快乐kuài lèhappy乐 = lèHSK 1
- 俱乐部jù lè bùclub (social or sports club)乐 = lè
- 娱乐yú lèentertainment; to amuse乐 = lè
music
music
音乐；成调的声音。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 音乐yīn yuèmusic乐 = yuèHSK 1
- 奏乐zòu yuèto play music; to strike up the band乐 = yuè
- 弦乐xián yuèstring music乐 = yuè
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 乐 mean?
乐 (lè) means happy; joyful; glad; to enjoy.
How do you pronounce 乐?
Its main reading is lè. It also has a second reading, yuè, which only shows up in certain words such as 音乐 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 乐 sometimes pronounced yuè?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 音乐 it is read yuè.
What parts is 乐 made of?
丿 (left-falling stroke) and ㇗ (vertical-turning stroke) and 小 (small). The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：第 1 笔为撇「丿」，第 2 笔为竖折「㇗」，第 3–5 笔与「小」逐笔一致）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 乐 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 乐?
丿. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 乐?
Common ones are 快乐. The reading of 乐 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.