How to Write 遛 (liú/liù) — Meaning “To stroll; to walk (an animal)”

Imagine you are walking your dog, but you must 'stay' (留) with it, so you write 'stay' inside the walk radical 辶. Visualize a leash connecting you and your pet: while you stroll (辶), the dog has to stay (留) close by. This helps you remember that 遛 means walking an animal.

First write the inner part 留 from top to bottom, then add the 辶 enclosure last. A common mistake is making the 辶 too wide or forgetting the final horizontal stroke at the bottom. Keep the 辶 tall and narrow so the inner part fits snugly above the bottom curve.

遛 contains 留 (stay) inside 辶, while 逭 contains 官 (official) and 逮 contains 隶 (slave). Their meanings are very different: 遛 is a leisurely walk, 逭 means to escape or avoid, and 逮 means to catch. Visually, the inner components are distinct: 留 has a top part like 卯, 官 has a roof, and 隶 has a vertical line.

遛 is most commonly used in 遛狗 (walk the dog), a daily activity in Chinese cities, especially in parks. The word 遛弯儿 means to go for a casual stroll and is often used by elderly people for their morning or evening walks. Walking a horse (遛马) is less common but still used in rural or equestrian contexts.

Common words containing 遛 include: 遛狗 (liú gǒu) — To walk the dog; 遛弯儿 (liú wān ér) — To go for a stroll; 遛马 (liú mǎ) — To walk a horse.