How to Write 禄 (lù) — Meaning “Official's salary; prosperity.”

Picture a spirit (礻) writing down your salary on a list (录). This helps you remember that 禄 means 'official salary' or 'prosperity' — the heavenly record of your earnings.

Write the radical 礻 first: dot, horizontal, left vertical, then the final dot. For the right part 录, start with a horizontal fold, then horizontal, horizontal, vertical hook, and finish with left and right dots. Keep the right part balanced and not too wide; common mistakes are making the 录 too tall or squeezing the radical.

禄 (lù) means 'official salary or prosperity' and has 录 on the right. 祥 (xiáng) means 'auspicious' and has 羊 (sheep) on the right, often used in blessings like 吉祥. 祧 (tiāo) refers to an ancestral temple and has 兆 (omen) on the right. Visually, the right-side components are completely different: 录 vs 羊 vs 兆.

禄 is not a common daily character but appears in set phrases like 福禄寿 (fú lù shòu, 'happiness, prosperity, longevity') used during festivals or on decorations. It also shows up in historical terms like 俸禄 (official's salary) and idioms such as 功名利禄 (fame and wealth). You will mostly see it in traditional blessings and formal writing.

Common words containing 禄 include: 福禄 (fú lù) — Prosperity and happiness; 俸禄 (fèng lù) — official's salary; 功名利禄 (gōng míng lì lù) — fame and wealth.