How to Write 腊 (là) — Meaning “Cured (meat); 12th lunar month”

Imagine the left side 月 as a piece of meat, and the right side 昔 as a calendar showing a past date. So 腊 means "meat from the past" – that is, cured meat. This picture helps you connect the shape to the meaning of preserved food and the old month.

The left radical 月 must be written narrow and tall, with two horizontal strokes inside, not three. The right side 昔 has a top part (艹) with two vertical strokes, a middle horizontal, then 日 below – keep the 日 smaller and centered. A common mistake is making the 月 too wide or adding an extra stroke inside 昔.

腊 contains 月 on the left and 昔 on the right, while 朔 has 月 on the left and 屰 (reverse) on the right, and 朕 has 月 on the left and 关/龹 on the right. Visually, the right-side components are distinct: 昔 has a grass-top (艹) over 日, 屰 looks like an upside-down arrow, and 朕's right part has two dots. Their meanings are unrelated: 腊 means cured meat, 朔 means new moon, and 朕 means "I" (imperial).

腊 appears in everyday food words like 腊肉 (cured pork belly) and 腊肠 (Chinese sausage), which are popular during Chinese New Year. It also names the 腊月 (the 12th lunar month), when families traditionally prepare these cured meats for the Spring Festival. So 腊 connects directly to winter food traditions and the lunar calendar.

Common words containing 腊 include: 腊肉 (là ròu) — Cured meat / Chinese bacon; 腊月 (là yuè) — 12th lunar month; 腊肠 (là cháng) — Chinese sausage.