How to Write 仂 (lè) — Meaning “Remainder or fraction”

Imagine a person (亻) who has only a fraction of their original strength (力) left — that leftover strength is a remainder. The sound "lè" can remind you of "leftover," which is similar to a remainder. This visual and sound link helps recall the character's meaning.

Write the left radical 亻 first: a left-slanting stroke, then a vertical stroke. Then add 力: a horizontal hook (like a horizontal stroke that turns into a hook) followed by a left-slanting stroke. Keep the left part narrow and the right part slightly wider; a common mistake is making the 力 too large or reversing the stroke order.

Visually, 亿 has 乙 on the right, 什 has 十 on the right, while 仂 has 力. Meaning-wise, 亿 means 100 million, 什 means "what" or "ten" in compounds, and 仂 means "remainder" or "fraction." Usage is also different: 亿 and 什 are very common, but 仂 is rare and appears mostly in technical or classical contexts.

仂 is not used in everyday speech; it appears mainly in specialized terms like 仂语 (phrase in linguistics) and 馀仂 (remainder or surplus). It is also found in ancient or formal texts discussing fractions. Modern Chinese speakers rarely encounter it, so it is considered a literary or technical character.

Common words containing 仂 include: 仂语 (lè yǔ) — Phrase (linguistic term); 馀仂 (yú lè) — Remainder / surplus; 仂数 (lè shù) — Fraction or remainder.