How to Write 砾 (lì) — Meaning “Gravel”

Picture a stone (石) that has been shattered into tiny pieces, and the right side 乐 looks like a small pile of these fragments. Alternatively, imagine small pebbles that make a musical sound when you shake them, linking to the music radical.

Write the left radical 石 taller and narrower, and the right part 乐 wider. Common mistakes: the first stroke of 乐 is a left-falling stroke (丿), not a dot, and the final stroke is a horizontal hook that curves upward, not a simple line.

砾 (lì) means gravel or small stones, while 矸 (gān) refers to waste rock in mining, and 矻 (kū) is used in the word 矻矻 meaning diligent or hardworking. Visually, 砾 has 乐 on the right, 矸 has 干, and 矻 has 乞.

砾 appears in geology, construction, and literature, often in words like 砾石 (gravel stone) for describing riverbeds or rough terrain. It is not in HSK, so advanced learners typically encounter it in specialized or descriptive texts.

Common words containing 砾 include: 砾石 (lì shí) — Gravel stone; 砂砾 (shā lì) — gravel; grit; 砾岩 (lì yán) — Conglomerate.