How to Write 晾 (liàng) — Meaning “To air-dry / To dry in the sun”

Imagine hanging a wet shirt on a line under the bright sun (日) next to a tall capital building (京). The sun and the building help you recall that 晾 means 'to air-dry'.

The left part 日 should be narrow and tall, not wide. In the right part 京, write the top dot first, then the horizontal line, then the two small dots inside, and finally the 小 bottom. A common mistake is making the two inner dots too big.

晾 has 京 on the right and means 'to dry in the sun', while 晁 has 兆 on the right and is a surname or refers to morning sunlight. 晁 is rarely used in daily life, whereas 晾 is common for drying clothes.

晾 is used every day for hanging laundry outside to dry, such as 晾衣服 (liàng yīfu). It also appears in 晾干 (to air-dry) for food or herbs. In Chinese culture, drying clothes on balconies or public lines is very common.

Common words containing 晾 include: 晾衣服 (liàng yī fú) — To hang out clothes to dry; 晾干 (liàng gān) — To air-dry; 晾晒 (liàng shài) — To dry in the sun.