列 (liè) is a Chinese character meaning “a row or line”. It is written from 歹 (bad; evil) and 刂 (knife (side form)), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “row; line”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
歹 + 刂
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形 IDS 拆分 ⿰歹刂，笔画数与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 核验一致（4+2=6）
Memory aid
A knife (刂) works on something broken-down (歹), cutting it apart piece by piece until the pieces lie in a neat row.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 列车liè chētrain列 = liè
- 队列duì lièformation; queue; line of people列 = liè
- 罗列luó lièto list; to set out one by one列 = liè
- 陈列chén lièto display; to exhibit列 = liè
Go deeper
All readings
row; to arrange in a line
a row or line; to arrange in order; to list; (measure word for things that come in a line, such as trains)
排成的行；把人或事物按次序摆出来。也用作量词，用于成行列的事物。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 列车liè chētrain列 = liè
- 队列duì lièformation; queue; line of people列 = liè
- 罗列luó lièto list; to set out one by one列 = liè
- 陈列chén lièto display; to exhibit列 = liè
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 列 mean?
列 (liè) means a row or line; to arrange in order; to list; (measure word for things that come in a line, such as trains).
How do you pronounce 列?
It is pronounced liè.
What parts is 列 made of?
歹 (bad; evil) and 刂 (knife (side form)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形 IDS 拆分 ⿰歹刂，笔画数与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 核验一致（4+2=6）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 列 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 列?
刀. 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 列?
Common ones are 列车 and 队列. The reading of 列 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.