lǎo ㄌㄠˇ lou5 HSK 1 HSK 2 入門級 · Level 1 高階級 · Level 4

  • prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity
  • old (of people)
  • venerable (person)
  • experienced
  • of long standing
  • always
  • all the time
  • of the past
  • very
  • outdated
  • (of meat etc) tough

Stroke order

Practice writing

Draw 老 (1 of 1) — stroke by stroke.

Draw each stroke of the character in order using your mouse or finger. A hint appears after three misses.

Character breakdown

Example sentences

  • 老問題。 The same old problem.
  • 他很老。 He was very old.
  • 我老了。 I'm old.
  • 猫老了。 The cat is old.
  • 我不老。 I'm not old.

Sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY)