玲 (líng) is a Chinese character meaning “the clear ringing sound of jade”. It is written from 王 (king) and 令 (to order; a command), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “líng — jade that rings”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
王 + 令
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字（玲，玉聲也。从玉令聲）
Memory aid
Jade (王, the jade radical on the left) plus 令, which here is only along for the sound: líng. Jade that rings — the clear tinkling of a jade pendant.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 玲珑líng lóngexquisite; finely wrought; delicate玲 = líng
- 小巧玲珑xiǎo qiǎo líng lóngsmall and exquisite; dainty and finely made玲 = língspoken asxiáo qiǎo líng lóng
Go deeper
All readings
tinkling of jade
the clear ringing sound of jade; used in 玲珑 "exquisite, finely wrought"
玉石相击的清脆声音；多用于「玲珑」，形容东西精巧细致。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 玲珑líng lóngexquisite; finely wrought; delicate玲 = líng
- 小巧玲珑xiǎo qiǎo líng lóngsmall and exquisite; dainty and finely made玲 = língspoken asxiáo qiǎo líng lóng
Sound component
令 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 玲 mean?
玲 (líng) means the clear ringing sound of jade; used in 玲珑 "exquisite, finely wrought".
How do you pronounce 玲?
It is pronounced líng.
What parts is 玲 made of?
王 (king) and 令 (to order; a command), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字（玲，玉聲也。从玉令聲）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 玲 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 玲?
玉. 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 玲?
Common ones are 玲珑 and 小巧玲珑. The reading of 玲 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.