How to Write 酪 (lào) — Meaning “cheese or curd”

Picture a bottle of wine (酉) sitting next to a piece of cheese that has the word "each" (各) written on it. This image reminds you that cheese (酪) is often enjoyed with wine, and the character combines both elements.

Write the radical 酉 first with 7 strokes, keeping the horizontal strokes balanced and not too wide. For the right side 各, be careful that the top part is 夂 (three strokes: left-falling, horizontal, right-falling) and the bottom mouth is narrow. A common mistake is confusing the top with 攵 or making the 酉 too large.

酪 has the right component 各, while 酕 has 毛 (hair) and 酖 has 冘. In meaning, 酪 refers to dairy products such as cheese and buttermilk, whereas 酕 and 酖 are rare characters related to strong drink or poisoning. Visually, the different right parts make each character distinctive.

You will most often see 酪 in 奶酪 (nǎi lào), the common word for cheese, used on menus and in food packaging. While cheese is not a traditional Chinese food, it has become popular in Western-style dishes and baking. Other words like 酪乳 (buttermilk) and 果酪 (fruit curd) are less common but may appear in specialty recipes.

Common words containing 酪 include: 奶酪 (nǎi lào) — Cheese; 酪乳 (lào rǔ) — buttermilk; 果酪 (guǒ lào) — fruit curd.