琉 (liú) is a Chinese character meaning “used in 琉璃 (coloured glaze”. It is written from 王 (king) and 㐬 (the right-hand part of 流 (亠 over 厶 over three short strokes)), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “glaze; glass (in 琉璃)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
王 + 㐬
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分 ⿰王㐬，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（王=笔画0–3，㐬=笔画4–10）
Memory aid
The jade side (王) sits next to 㐬, the same flowing part you see in 流 (liú). Picture jade so smooth it seems to flow like liquid — that shiny glaze is 琉璃.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 琉璃liú lícoloured glaze; glass琉 = liúspoken asliú li
- 琉球Liú qiúRyukyu (islands)琉 = liú
Go deeper
All readings
glaze; glass (in 琉璃)
used in 琉璃 (coloured glaze; glass) and 琉球 (the Ryukyu Islands)
用于「琉璃」「琉球」等词。琉璃指一种有色半透明的釉料或玻璃状物质。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 琉璃liú lícoloured glaze; glass琉 = liúspoken asliú li
- 琉球Liú qiúRyukyu (islands)琉 = liú
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 琉 mean?
琉 (liú) means used in 琉璃 (coloured glaze; glass) and 琉球 (the Ryukyu Islands).
How do you pronounce 琉?
It is pronounced liú.
What parts is 琉 made of?
王 (king) and 㐬 (the right-hand part of 流 (亠 over 厶 over three short strokes)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分 ⿰王㐬，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（王=笔画0–3，㐬=笔画4–10）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 琉 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 琉?
玉. 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 琉?
Common ones are 琉璃 and 琉球. The reading of 琉 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.