率 (lǜ) is a Chinese character meaning “rate”. It is written from 玄 (dark; mysterious) and 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 八 (eight) and 十 (ten), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes. It has a second reading, shuài, which turns up in 率领 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “rate; ratio”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
玄 + 丷 + 八 + 十
Top–bottom structure
- 玄 dark; mysterious · xuán unknown
- 丷 two spreading strokes unknown
- 八 eight · bā unknown
- 十 ten · shí unknown
Structure from: cjkvi-ids (⿱⿻玄⿱丷八十), verified stroke-by-stroke against hanzi-writer-data
Memory aid
A dark spool (玄) spins so fast that drops fly off both sides — two above (丷), two below (八) — while it sits on a cross-shaped stand (十). How fast it spins is its rate.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 效率xiào lǜefficiency率 = lǜ
- 频率pín lǜfrequency率 = lǜ
Go deeper
All readings
rate; ratio
rate; ratio; proportion
两个相关的数在一定条件下的比值。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 效率xiào lǜefficiency率 = lǜ
- 频率pín lǜfrequency率 = lǜ
to lead; frank
to lead; to command; frank, straightforward; hasty
带领；直爽坦白；不细想、轻易。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 率领shuài lǐngto lead; to command (a group)率 = shuài
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 率 mean?
率 (lǜ) means rate; ratio; proportion.
How do you pronounce 率?
Its main reading is lǜ. It also has a second reading, shuài, which only shows up in certain words such as 率领 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 率 sometimes pronounced shuài?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 率领 it is read shuài.
What parts is 率 made of?
玄 (dark; mysterious) and 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 八 (eight) and 十 (ten), one above the other. The recorded source is: cjkvi-ids (⿱⿻玄⿱丷八十), verified stroke-by-stroke against hanzi-writer-data. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 率 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 率?
玄. 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 率?
Common ones are 效率 and 频率. The reading of 率 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.