犁 (lí) is a Chinese character meaning “plough”. It is written from 利 (sharp; benefit) and 牛 (ox; cow), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “plough”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
利 + 牛
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形 ⿱利牛（构建期拆分候选），经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0–6 为利，7–10 为牛
Memory aid
A sharp (利) blade on top, an ox (牛) underneath pulling it through the soil — that is a plough.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 犁地lí dìto plough the land犁 = lí
- 犁田lí tiánto plough the fields犁 = lí
Go deeper
All readings
plough
plough; to plough; to till
翻土用的农具；用犁翻耕土地。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 犁地lí dìto plough the land犁 = lí
- 犁田lí tiánto plough the fields犁 = lí
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 犁 mean?
犁 (lí) means plough; to plough; to till.
How do you pronounce 犁?
It is pronounced lí.
What parts is 犁 made of?
利 (sharp; benefit) and 牛 (ox; cow), one above the other. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形 ⿱利牛（构建期拆分候选），经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0–6 为利，7–10 为牛. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 犁 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 犁?
牛. 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 犁?
Common ones are 犁地 and 犁田. The reading of 犁 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.