垒 (lěi) is a Chinese character meaning “rampart”. It is written from 厽 (to pile up (three stacked 厶)) and 土 (earth; soil), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “rampart; to pile up”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
厽 + 土
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字「壘，軍壁也。从土畾聲」（繁体 壘）；简化字以「厽」代替声符「畾」。IDS 拆分 ⿱厽土，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–5 与「厽」逐笔对应，笔画 6–8 与「土」逐笔对应（6+3=9画）
Memory aid
Three small lumps (厽) piled up on top of earth (土) — heap them higher and higher and you have built a rampart. 垒 is to pile up, and the wall you get.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 壁垒bì lěirampart; barrier垒 = lěi
- 垒球lěi qiúsoftball垒 = lěi
Go deeper
All readings
rampart; to pile up
rampart; fortification wall; to build by piling up (bricks, stones); base (in baseball/softball)
军营四周的防御墙；也指用砖石等堆砌，或垒球、棒球中的垒位。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 壁垒bì lěirampart; barrier垒 = lěi
- 垒球lěi qiúsoftball垒 = lěi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 垒 mean?
垒 (lěi) means rampart; fortification wall; to build by piling up (bricks, stones); base (in baseball/softball).
How do you pronounce 垒?
It is pronounced lěi.
What parts is 垒 made of?
厽 (to pile up (three stacked 厶)) and 土 (earth; soil), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字「壘，軍壁也。从土畾聲」（繁体 壘）；简化字以「厽」代替声符「畾」。IDS 拆分 ⿱厽土，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–5 与「厽」逐笔对应，笔画 6–8 与「土」逐笔对应（6+3=9画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 垒 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 垒?
土. 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 垒?
Common ones are 壁垒 and 垒球. The reading of 垒 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.