How to Write 戮 (lù) — Meaning “to kill; to execute; to join forces”

Imagine a soldier (戈) striking down a group of people (represented by the many strokes in 翏), and the result is a massacre. You can also think of "lù" sounding like "loo" — picture a toilet that kills germs, though that's silly. The key is associating the weapon radical with the violent meaning.

Pay attention to the left side 翏, which has a complex structure with multiple horizontal strokes and a small 㐱-like bottom; it is easy to make it too wide. The right side 戈 should be slightly narrower and its diagonal stroke must extend past the left side. Common mistakes include misplacing the dot on 戈 or making the left side unbalanced.

戮 (lù) uses the left component 翏 and means "kill" or "join forces." 戠 (zhí) is rare, often a variant of 職 (duty), and has 只 on the left. 戡 (kān) means "to subdue" or "to suppress," with 甚 (shèn) on the left. Visually, 戮 has more strokes on its left side, while 戡 has a simpler left part.

戮 appears mainly in formal or literary contexts, such as in the word 杀戮 (shā lù, slaughter) referring to mass killing, often in historical or news reports. It also appears in 戮力 (lù lì, to work together), which is an elegant term used in speeches or writing. The character carries a heavy, violent tone and is not common in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 戮 include: 杀戮 (shā lù) — slaughter; massacre; 戮力 (lù lì) — to join forces; to work together; 戮没 (lù méi) — to execute and confiscate property.