离 (lí) is a Chinese character meaning “to leave”. It is written from 亠 (lid) and 凶 (inauspicious; fierce) and 禸 (animal track), and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to leave”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亠 + 凶 + 禸
Top–middle–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿳亠凶禸（已对照 hanzi-writer-data 十笔笔顺核验：第 1–2 笔为亠，第 3–6 笔构成凶，第 7–10 笔构成下部禸的四笔写法 冂+厶）
Memory aid
A lid (亠) clamped over something fierce (凶), and below it only animal tracks (禸) heading off — whatever was here has already left. That is 离: to leave, to be apart.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 离开lí kāito leave; to depart离 = lí
- 距离jù lídistance; to be apart from离 = lí
- 脱离tuō líto separate from; to break away from离 = lí
Go deeper
All readings
to leave; apart from
to leave; to part from; to be separated from; (of distance) away from
分开；离开；相距。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 离开lí kāito leave; to depart离 = lí
- 距离jù lídistance; to be apart from离 = lí
- 脱离tuō líto separate from; to break away from离 = lí
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 离 mean?
离 (lí) means to leave; to part from; to be separated from; (of distance) away from.
How do you pronounce 离?
It is pronounced lí.
What parts is 离 made of?
亠 (lid) and 凶 (inauspicious; fierce) and 禸 (animal track). The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分 ⿳亠凶禸（已对照 hanzi-writer-data 十笔笔顺核验：第 1–2 笔为亠，第 3–6 笔构成凶，第 7–10 笔构成下部禸的四笔写法 冂+厶）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 离 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 离?
禸. 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 离?
Common ones are 离开 and 距离. The reading of 离 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.