绿 (lǜ) is a Chinese character meaning “green”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 录 (to record; to copy down), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “green”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + 录
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：纟 3 画 + 录 8 画 = 11 画）；说文解字：綠，帛青黃色也。从糸彔聲（简化后 糸→纟、彔→录）
Memory aid
Silk thread (纟) on the left, 录 (lù, "to record") on the right: picture a dyer recording (录) every skein of thread (纟) that came out of the vat green. 录 also hints at the sound: lù → lǜ.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 绿色lǜ sègreen; green (eco-friendly)绿 = lǜ
- 绿茵lǜ yīngreen turf; lush grass绿 = lǜ
- 绿茵场lǜ yīn chǎngfootball pitch; grass sports field绿 = lǜ
Go deeper
All readings
green
green; the color of grass and leaves
像草和树叶那样的颜色。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 绿色lǜ sègreen; green (eco-friendly)绿 = lǜ
- 绿茵lǜ yīngreen turf; lush grass绿 = lǜ
- 绿茵场lǜ yīn chǎngfootball pitch; grass sports field绿 = lǜ
Rare readings, not taught: lù
Sound component
录 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 绿 mean?
绿 (lǜ) means green; the color of grass and leaves.
How do you pronounce 绿?
It is pronounced lǜ.
What parts is 绿 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 录 (to record; to copy down), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：纟 3 画 + 录 8 画 = 11 画）；说文解字：綠，帛青黃色也。从糸彔聲（简化后 糸→纟、彔→录）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 绿 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 绿?
纟. 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 绿?
Common ones are 绿色 and 绿茵. The reading of 绿 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.