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How to Write 厘 (lí) — Meaning “centi-; 1/100; li (unit of length or weight)”

lí HSK Level 4 9 strokes Radical: 厂

厘 (lí) means "centi-; 1/100; li (unit of length or weight)" in Chinese. It has 9 strokes with the radical 厂, and is HSK Level 4.

Rated 3.7/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 39% of HSK Level 4 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 厘米 (lí mǐ), 毫厘 (háo lí), 厘定 (lí dìng).

Due to its 9 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 厘 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 厘 - lí

Practice Writing 厘 (lí)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 厘 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 厘

The character 厘 (lí) is written with 9 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 厂 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does lí (厘) Mean in Chinese?

厘 means centi-; 1/100; li (unit of length or weight).

As an HSK Level 4 character, 厘 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character厘
Pinyinlí (li)
Meaningcenti-; 1/100; li (unit of length or weight)
Strokes9
Radical厂
HSK Level4
Difficulty3.7/5

Origin of 厘

The character 厘 combines the cliff radical 厂 with 里 (village/li unit). Originally it referred to a small unit of land measurement, and today it denotes one-hundredth (e.g., centimeter or centigram). The component 里 provides both phonetic and semantic hints of measurement.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a cliff (厂) exactly 1/100 of a li (里) away from a village, marking a tiny distance.

Common Words with 厘

厘米 lí mǐ
centimeter
毫厘 háo lí
a tiny bit / iota
厘定 lí dìng
to stipulate; to define; to settle

Example Sentences

这支笔长十厘米。

zhè zhī bǐ zhǎng shí lí mǐ

This pen is ten centimeters long.

差距只有毫厘。

chā jù zhǐ yǒu háo lí

The gap is only a hair's breadth.

我们需要厘定标准。

wǒ men xū yào lí dìng biāo zhǔn

We need to define the standards.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
厘 (current) lí 9 厂
厓 yá 8 厂
厕 cè 8 厂
厗 tí 9 厂
Stroke order practice for 厘 - lí

Practice Writing 厘 (lí)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 厘 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 厘

厘 is composed of the radical 厂 (cliff) on top and 里 (inside/village) below. The component 里 originally meant a unit of distance (a Chinese mile), and adding 厂 gives the idea of a small subdivision of a unit, like centi-.

More HSK Level 4 Characters

阿ā/ē姨yí矮ǎi置zhì暗àn巴ba/bā士shì货huò摆bǎi脱tuō败bài裹guǒ含hán括kuò薄báo/bó/bò宝bǎo贝bèi密mì守shǒu抱bào

Characters with Radical 厂

仄zè厂chǎng厃wěi厄è厅tīng历lì厉lì压yā/yà厌yàn厍shè

Other 9-Stroke Characters

㒸suì㲋chuò㿽xī临lín举jǔ乹gān/qián亭tíng亮liàng亲qīn/qìng侮wǔ