栏 (lán) is a Chinese character meaning “railing”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 兰 (orchid), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “railing”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 兰
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（木4画 + 兰5画 = 9画）
Memory aid
Wood (木) set up around the orchids (兰) so nobody walks into the flower bed — a railing.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 栏杆lán gānrailing; banister栏 = lán
- 栅栏zhà lánfence; railing栏 = lán
Go deeper
All readings
railing
railing; fence; banister; also a column or section on a page or form
起阻挡作用的横木或栏杆；也指表格、报刊上分出的条块。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 栏杆lán gānrailing; banister栏 = lán
- 栅栏zhà lánfence; railing栏 = lán
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 栏 mean?
栏 (lán) means railing; fence; banister; also a column or section on a page or form.
How do you pronounce 栏?
It is pronounced lán.
What parts is 栏 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 兰 (orchid), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（木4画 + 兰5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 栏 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 栏?
木. 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 栏?
Common ones are 栏杆 and 栅栏. The reading of 栏 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.