The strength; power radical — 力 (lì)
A flexed arm, or a plough. It marks effort in every direction: 加 (to add), 助 (to help), 努 (to strive), 劳 (labour), 动 (to move), and 男 (man) — literally strength in the field.
At a glance
- Radical
- 力
- Pinyin
- lì
- Meaning
- Strength; power
- Strokes
- 2 (1–2 strokes section)
Stroke order
Characters built on 力
Every character below contains 力. Meanings come from the same dictionary that powers the translator, so you can look any of them up in full there.
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力 — frequently asked questions
What does the Chinese radical 力 mean?
力 is pronounced lì and means "strength; power". It is written in 2 strokes. A flexed arm, or a plough. It marks effort in every direction: 加 (to add), 助 (to help), 努 (to strive), 劳 (labour), 动 (to move), and 男 (man) — literally strength in the field.
Which characters use the 力 radical?
Common examples include 加 (jiā, Add (plus - increase)), 办 (bàn, Manages (to handle - deal with)), 功 (gōng, Contribution (achievement)), 助 (zhù, Help (assist)). This page lists 10 of them with pinyin, meanings and audio.
How many strokes does 力 have?
2. Radical dictionaries file it in the 1–2 strokes section, which is how you look up an unfamiliar character when you cannot guess its pronunciation.
Other 2-stroke radicals
Keep going
Watch any of these characters being written in the Stroke Order Animator, practise them on printable 田字格 sheets, hunt radicals against the clock in Radical Hunt, or read the background in The 100 Most Common Chinese Radicals and Chinese Character Etymology.