令 (lìng) is a Chinese character meaning “an order”. It is written from 人 (person) and 丶 (dot stroke) and 龴 (bent stroke plus a dot; the マ-shaped part written under 令), and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “an order”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
人 + 丶 + 龴
Top–middle–bottom structure
- 人 person · rén unknown
- 丶 dot stroke · zhǔ unknown
- 龴 bent stroke plus a dot; the マ-shaped part written under 令 unknown
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分，非字源）
Memory aid
Someone (人) stands above with one word (丶) dropping from their mouth, and 龴 below bends to take it down. That is an order.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 命令mìng lìngan order; to give an order令 = lìng
- 令人lìng rénto make someone (feel something)令 = lìng
Go deeper
All readings
order
an order; a command; to make or cause (someone to feel something)
上级对下级发出的指示；也表示使、让某人产生某种感受。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 命令mìng lìngan order; to give an order令 = lìng
- 令人lìng rénto make someone (feel something)令 = lìng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 令 mean?
令 (lìng) means an order; a command; to make or cause (someone to feel something).
How do you pronounce 令?
It is pronounced lìng.
What parts is 令 made of?
人 (person) and 丶 (dot stroke) and 龴 (bent stroke plus a dot; the マ-shaped part written under 令). The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分，非字源）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 令 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 令?
人. 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 令?
Common ones are 命令 and 令人. The reading of 令 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.