How to Write 徕 (lái) — Meaning “To induce / come”

Picture two people (彳) walking toward a waving hand that says 'come' (来). Alternatively, think of the brand name 'Leica' (徕卡) — just remember that Leica cameras 'come' to you when you want to take a photo. The right part 来 already means 'come', so 徕 visually reinforces that idea.

Pay attention to the left radical 彳: it has three strokes — a short left-falling stroke, then a longer left-falling stroke, and finally a vertical stroke. The right part 来 must be written with the top horizontal line slightly shorter than the bottom one, and the dot (丶) above it should be centered. A common mistake is making the right part too wide or forgetting the dot.

All three characters share the radical 彳, but the right parts differ: 徕 uses 来 (come), 彼 uses 皮 (skin), and 往 uses 主 (master). 徕 means 'to induce' or 'come', 彼 means 'that' or 'other', and 往 means 'to go'. Visually, 徕 has more strokes on the right and a dot at the top, while 彼 has a hook in 皮 and 往 has a simpler shape.

徕 is not common in everyday conversation but appears in formal or commercial contexts, especially in the word 招徕 (zhāo lái, meaning 'to solicit customers' or 'to attract business'). It is also used in the transliteration 徕卡 (lái kǎ) for the German camera brand Leica. You might see 招徕生意 on shop signs or in advertising language.

Common words containing 徕 include: 招徕 (zhāo lái) — To solicit / to attract customers; 徕卡 (lái kǎ) — Leica (camera brand); 招徕生意 (zhāo lái shēng yì) — To solicit business / to attract customers.