兰 (lán) is a Chinese character meaning “orchid”. It is written from 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 三 (three), one above the other, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “orchid”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丷 + 三
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: Unicode U+5170 and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (strokes 1-2 form 丷 above strokes 3-5 forming 三)
Memory aid
Two leaf tips (丷) opening above three level lines (三): an orchid's narrow leaves over the neat ledge it sits on.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 兰花lán huāorchid兰 = lán
- 木兰mù lánmagnolia兰 = lán
- 芬兰Fēn lánFinland兰 = lán
Go deeper
All readings
orchid
orchid; by extension, fragrant flowering plants such as the magnolia; also used in given names
兰花，叶细长、花清香的植物；也用来指玉兰、木兰等香花，常用于人名。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 兰花lán huāorchid兰 = lán
- 木兰mù lánmagnolia兰 = lán
- 芬兰Fēn lánFinland兰 = lán
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 兰 mean?
兰 (lán) means orchid; by extension, fragrant flowering plants such as the magnolia; also used in given names.
How do you pronounce 兰?
It is pronounced lán.
What parts is 兰 made of?
丷 (two spreading strokes) and 三 (three), one above the other. The recorded source is: Unicode U+5170 and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (strokes 1-2 form 丷 above strokes 3-5 forming 三). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 兰 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 兰?
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 兰?
Common ones are 兰花 and 木兰. The reading of 兰 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.