泪 (lèi) is a Chinese character meaning “tear”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 目 (eye), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “tear”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 目
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代通行字形 IDS 拆分 ⿰氵目，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–7 与「目」逐笔对应（3+5=8画）。注：本字为「淚」（说文：从水戾聲）的通行字形，右侧「目」不是声符
Memory aid
Water (氵) running from an eye (目) — a tear.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 眼泪yǎn lèitears泪 = lèi
- 流泪liú lèito shed tears; to cry泪 = lèi
- 拭泪shì lèito wipe away tears泪 = lèi
- 热泪盈眶rè lèi yíng kuàngeyes brimming with tears (of emotion)泪 = lèi
Go deeper
All readings
tear
tear; teardrop; tears
眼睛里流出来的液体，眼泪。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 眼泪yǎn lèitears泪 = lèi
- 流泪liú lèito shed tears; to cry泪 = lèi
- 拭泪shì lèito wipe away tears泪 = lèi
- 热泪盈眶rè lèi yíng kuàngeyes brimming with tears (of emotion)泪 = lèi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 泪 mean?
泪 (lèi) means tear; teardrop; tears.
How do you pronounce 泪?
It is pronounced lèi.
What parts is 泪 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 目 (eye), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代通行字形 IDS 拆分 ⿰氵目，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–7 与「目」逐笔对应（3+5=8画）。注：本字为「淚」（说文：从水戾聲）的通行字形，右侧「目」不是声符. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 泪 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 泪?
氵. 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 泪?
Common ones are 眼泪 and 流泪. The reading of 泪 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.