咧 (liě) is a Chinese character meaning “to pull the corners of the mouth sideways”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 列 (to arrange in a row; a row, a series), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to grin”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 列
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（口3画 + 列6画 = 9画）
Memory aid
A mouth (口) stretched into a row (列) — the lips pull sideways until the teeth line up: that is 咧, to grin.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 咧嘴liě zuǐto grin; to open the mouth wide (in a grin or grimace)咧 = liěspoken aslié zuǐ
- 咧开liě kāito open wide; to split open (especially of the mouth)咧 = liě
Go deeper
All readings
to pull the mouth wide
to pull the corners of the mouth sideways; to grin or grimace
把嘴角向两边张开。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 咧嘴liě zuǐto grin; to open the mouth wide (in a grin or grimace)咧 = liěspoken aslié zuǐ
- 咧开liě kāito open wide; to split open (especially of the mouth)咧 = liě
Sound component
列 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 咧 mean?
咧 (liě) means to pull the corners of the mouth sideways; to grin or grimace.
How do you pronounce 咧?
It is pronounced liě.
What parts is 咧 made of?
口 (mouth) and 列 (to arrange in a row; a row, a series), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（口3画 + 列6画 = 9画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 咧 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 咧?
口. 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 咧?
Common ones are 咧嘴 and 咧开. The reading of 咧 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.