莲 (lián) is a Chinese character meaning “lotus (the water plant)”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 连 (to link; to connect), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “lotus”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
艹 + 连
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 10 笔核验：艹 3 笔 + 连 7 笔）
Memory aid
Under the grass radical (艹) comes 连, "to link". Lotus leaves link up across the pond, one after another. 连 (lián) also gives the sound: lián.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 莲花lián huālotus flower莲 = lián
- 莲子lián zǐlotus seed莲 = lián
Go deeper
All readings
lotus
lotus (the water plant); lotus seed
莲，多年生水生植物，叶子大而圆，花大而美，种子叫莲子。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 莲花lián huālotus flower莲 = lián
- 莲子lián zǐlotus seed莲 = lián
Sound component
连 family exact
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 莲 mean?
莲 (lián) means lotus (the water plant); lotus seed.
How do you pronounce 莲?
It is pronounced lián.
What parts is 莲 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 连 (to link; to connect), 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 + 连 7 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 莲 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 莲?
艸. 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 莲?
Common ones are 莲花 and 莲子. The reading of 莲 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.