冷 (lěng) is a Chinese character meaning “cold”. It is written from 冫 (ice; two dots of ice) and 令 (to order; a command), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “cold”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
冫 + 令
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰冫令，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：左「冫」2 笔 + 右「令」5 笔 = 7 笔）；读音比对 令 lìng → 冷 lěng；非字源解释
Memory aid
Two flecks of ice (冫) on the left, and on the right an order (令) — the weather gives the command, and everything goes cold. Both parts really are in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 冷水lěng shuǐcold water; unboiled water冷 = lěngspoken asléng shuǐ
- 冷却lěng quèto cool down; to cool off冷 = lěng
- 冷淡lěng dàncold; indifferent; unenthusiastic冷 = lěng
Go deeper
All readings
cold
cold; chilly; to cool; unfriendly or indifferent in manner
温度低；使温度降低。也比喻态度不热情、不受欢迎。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 冷水lěng shuǐcold water; unboiled water冷 = lěngspoken asléng shuǐ
- 冷却lěng quèto cool down; to cool off冷 = lěng
- 冷淡lěng dàncold; indifferent; unenthusiastic冷 = lěng
Sound component
令 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 冷 mean?
冷 (lěng) means cold; chilly; to cool; unfriendly or indifferent in manner.
How do you pronounce 冷?
It is pronounced lěng.
What parts is 冷 made of?
冫 (ice; two dots of ice) and 令 (to order; a command), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰冫令，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：左「冫」2 笔 + 右「令」5 笔 = 7 笔）；读音比对 令 lìng → 冷 lěng；非字源解释. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 冷 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 冷?
冫. 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 冷?
Common ones are 冷水 and 冷却. The reading of 冷 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.