怜 (lián) is a Chinese character meaning “to pity”. It is written from 忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 令 (to order; a command), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to pity — a heart moved by what it sees”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
忄 + 令
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：忄 3 画 + 令 5 画 = 8 画；右侧 令 lìng 为声符，与 lián 同声母 l）
Memory aid
The heart radical 忄 on the left tells you this feeling happens inside; 令 on the right is the sound part. A heart that is moved by what it sees — that is pity.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 可怜kě liánpitiful; poor; to pity怜 = lián
- 怜悯lián mǐnto pity; compassion怜 = lián
Go deeper
All readings
to pity
to pity; to feel sympathy for; to love tenderly
同情；爱惜。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 可怜kě liánpitiful; poor; to pity怜 = lián
- 怜悯lián mǐnto pity; compassion怜 = lián
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 怜 mean?
怜 (lián) means to pity; to feel sympathy for; to love tenderly.
How do you pronounce 怜?
It is pronounced lián.
What parts is 怜 made of?
忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 令 (to order; a command), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：忄 3 画 + 令 5 画 = 8 画；右侧 令 lìng 为声符，与 lián 同声母 l）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 怜 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 怜?
心. 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 怜?
Common ones are 可怜. The reading of 怜 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.