How to Write 寥 (liáo) — Meaning “Few; empty; lonely.”

Imagine a roof (宀) covering only a few scattered feathers (the shape of 翏). This picture of an empty house with just a few feathers helps you remember that 寥 means 'few' or 'lonely'.

Start by writing the roof radical 宀 as a wide cover, then write the lower part 翏 with careful balance. A common mistake is making the upper roof too small or misplacing the strokes in 翏; keep the roof proportionally larger to emphasize shelter.

While 寥 means few or lonely, 富 (fù) means wealth and has the component 畐 under the roof. 寐 (mèi) means sleep and contains 未 and 爿 under the roof. Visually, 寥 uses 翏, 富 uses 畐, and 寐 uses a different bottom part, giving each a distinct meaning.

寥 appears in literary or formal expressions like 寥寥无几 (very few) and 寂寥 (solitary and desolate). It often conveys a poetic sense of emptiness or vastness, such as in the phrase 寥廓 (boundless).

Common words containing 寥 include: 寥寥 (liáo liáo) — Very few; scanty.; 寂寥 (jì liáo) — solitary; desolate; 寥廓 (liáo kuò) — Vast; boundless..