烈 (liè) is a Chinese character meaning “fierce”. It is written from 列 (to arrange in a row; a row, a series) and 灬 (fire dots (bottom form of 火)), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “fierce; intense”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
列 + 灬
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字（烈，火猛也。从火列聲）；现代字形 ⿱列灬，下部 灬 即「火」，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（列 0–5，灬 6–9）
Memory aid
Fire (灬) blazes under a whole row (列) of logs — the flames grow fierce and intense.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 热烈rè lièwarm; enthusiastic; lively烈 = liè
- 强烈qiáng lièstrong; intense; vehement烈 = liè
Go deeper
All readings
fierce; intense
fierce; intense; violent; upright and staunch; martyr
猛烈，强烈；刚正，有气节；也指为正义事业牺牲的人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 热烈rè lièwarm; enthusiastic; lively烈 = liè
- 强烈qiáng lièstrong; intense; vehement烈 = liè
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 烈 mean?
烈 (liè) means fierce; intense; violent; upright and staunch; martyr.
How do you pronounce 烈?
It is pronounced liè.
What parts is 烈 made of?
列 (to arrange in a row; a row, a series) and 灬 (fire dots (bottom form of 火)), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字（烈，火猛也。从火列聲）；现代字形 ⿱列灬，下部 灬 即「火」，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（列 0–5，灬 6–9）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 烈 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 烈?
火. 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 烈?
Common ones are 热烈 and 强烈. The reading of 烈 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.