莉 (lì) is a Chinese character meaning “used mainly in 茉莉 (jasmine) and its compounds”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 利 (sharp; benefit), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “jasmine”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
艹 + 利
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 10 笔核验：艹 3 笔 + 利 7 笔）
Memory aid
The grass radical (艹) sits on top of 利, "sharp". Picture a plant (艹) with sharp, clean white petals: jasmine. 利 (lì) also gives the whole character its sound, lì.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 茉莉mò lìjasmine莉 = lì
- 茉莉花mò lì huājasmine flower莉 = lì
Go deeper
All readings
jasmine (in 茉莉)
used mainly in 茉莉 (jasmine) and its compounds; also common in given names
主要用于「茉莉」及其组成的词，指茉莉这种开白色小花的常绿灌木；也常用于人名。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 茉莉mò lìjasmine莉 = lì
- 茉莉花mò lì huājasmine flower莉 = lì
Sound component
利 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 莉 mean?
莉 (lì) means used mainly in 茉莉 (jasmine) and its compounds; also common in given names.
How do you pronounce 莉?
It is pronounced lì.
What parts is 莉 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 利 (sharp; benefit), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 10 笔核验：艹 3 笔 + 利 7 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 莉 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 莉?
艹. 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 莉?
Common ones are 茉莉 and 茉莉花. The reading of 莉 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.