陋 (lòu) is a Chinese character meaning “crude”. It is written from 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)) and 匚 (right-open box) and 内 (inside), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “crude and cramped”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
阝 + 匚 + 内
Left–right structure
- 阝 left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑) · fù meaning
- 匚 right-open box · fāng remnant
- 内 inside · nèi remnant
Structure from: 现代字形笔画核验（hanzi-writer-data 笔顺：8 笔 = 阝2 + 匚2 + 内4）
Memory aid
A mound of earth (阝) on the left, a right-open box (匚) on the right, and everything you own squeezed inside (内) it. A cramped, crude little place.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 丑陋chǒu lòuugly; unsightly陋 = lòu
Go deeper
All readings
crude
crude; shabby; cramped; ugly; (of knowledge or customs) narrow, unrefined
简陋、狭小粗糙；样子难看；见识浅薄、不好的（习俗）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 丑陋chǒu lòuugly; unsightly陋 = lòu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 陋 mean?
陋 (lòu) means crude; shabby; cramped; ugly; (of knowledge or customs) narrow, unrefined.
How do you pronounce 陋?
It is pronounced lòu.
What parts is 陋 made of?
阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)) and 匚 (right-open box) and 内 (inside), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形笔画核验（hanzi-writer-data 笔顺：8 笔 = 阝2 + 匚2 + 内4）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 陋 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 陋?
阜. 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 陋?
Common ones are 丑陋. The reading of 陋 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.