李 (lǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “plum (tree and fruit)”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 子 (child; son), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “plum”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 子
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：李，果也。从木子聲（现代字形拆分 ⿱木子，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–4 笔为「木」，第 5–7 笔为「子」，合计 7 画）
Memory aid
A tree (木) with a child (子) sitting under it, reaching up for the fruit — this tree is a plum tree.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 李子lǐ ziplum李 = lǐ
- 行李xíng liluggage; baggage李 = lǐ
Go deeper
All readings
plum
plum (tree and fruit); Li, a very common Chinese family name
李树，也指李树的果实；也是常见的姓。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 李子lǐ ziplum李 = lǐ
- 行李xíng liluggage; baggage李 = lǐ
Sound component
子 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 李 mean?
李 (lǐ) means plum (tree and fruit); Li, a very common Chinese family name.
How do you pronounce 李?
It is pronounced lǐ.
What parts is 李 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 子 (child; son), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：李，果也。从木子聲（现代字形拆分 ⿱木子，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–4 笔为「木」，第 5–7 笔为「子」，合计 7 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 李 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 李?
木. 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 李?
Common ones are 李子 and 行李. The reading of 李 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.