How to Write 剌 (lá) — Meaning “to slash; to cut”

Imagine a 'sharp knife' (刂) cutting through a 'bundle' (束) tied with ropes. The bundle is slashed open, and you can picture the action of slashing to recall the meaning. The sound 'lá' can be linked to 'slash' since both start with the letter 'l'.

Write the left part 束 first: horizontal, vertical, then the small box and the two strokes below, ending with the vertical hook. The right part 刂 should be slightly taller, starting with a short vertical stroke followed by the main vertical cut. A common mistake is making the left bundle too wide, so keep it narrow and balanced.

剌 (lá) means 'to slash open' and is used for cutting actions like cutting one's hand (剌手). 删 (shān) means 'to delete' and combines 册 (book) with 刂, referring to cutting text. 判 (pàn) means 'to judge' or 'to distinguish', using 半 (half) with 刂, indicating a decisive cut or separation. Their meanings and left components are visually distinct.

剌 is less common in everyday speech but appears in words like 剌开 (to slash open) and 剌手 (to cut one's hand). The word 乖剌 (guāi lá) means 'perverse' or 'unreasonable', but it is literary and rare. This character is not in the HSK list, so learners may only encounter it in specialized or historical texts.

Common words containing 剌 include: 剌开 (lá kāi) — to slash open; 剌手 (lá shǒu) — to cut one's hand; 乖剌 (guāi lá) — perverse; unreasonable; contradictory.