六 (liù) is a Chinese character meaning “six”. It is written from 亠 (lid) and 八 (eight), one above the other, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “six”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亠 + 八
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: modern-form graphic decomposition; 2+2 strokes cross-checked against hanzi-writer-data stroke set (4 strokes)
Memory aid
A lid (亠) laid over a pair of legs splitting apart (八). Both parts are really in this character — a lid on a split gives you six.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 六月liù yuèJune六 = liù
- 十六shí liùsixteen六 = liù
Questions people ask about this character
What does 六 mean?
六 (liù) means six; 6.
How do you pronounce 六?
It is pronounced liù.
What parts is 六 made of?
亠 (lid) and 八 (eight), one above the other. The recorded source is: modern-form graphic decomposition; 2+2 strokes cross-checked against hanzi-writer-data stroke set (4 strokes). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 六 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 六?
八. 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 六?
Common ones are 六月 and 十六. The reading of 六 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.