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老

老 (lǎo) Chinese Character: old; experienced

6 strokes · HSK 1 · Radical 耂

Picture an experienced elder leaning on a walking staff.

Practice 老 in the interactive lesson

Chinese character story: An Elder Walking with a Staff

老 (lǎo) usually means “old,” but its tone depends on context. In 老人, it describes an elderly person. In 老朋友, it means a long-time friend. Most importantly for beginners, 老 combines with 师 to make 老师, the everyday word for “teacher.” Calling someone 老师 is respectful and does not mean that the teacher is old. Treat 老师 as one complete vocabulary word.

🧩 Word buildingSee what every part contributes

Chinese words often combine short meaning clues. Fixed expressions are clearly marked so you do not translate them too literally.

老人
老old人person=elderly person
老师
老experienced or respected师teacher or master=teacher

老师 does not mean that the teacher is old.

Chinese character origin and etymology

Oracle-bone forms of 老 depict an elderly person with long hair leaning on a walking stick. The character came to mean old, aged, experienced, or long familiar.

The six-stroke form has a broad upper section and a sloping lower hook, creating a figure that leans slightly forward. 老 works as one complete form rather than a puzzle made from smaller modern components. Learning its overall silhouette is useful because the same shape may later appear inside more complex characters.

老 in oracle bone script
Oracle bone script
老 in bronze script
Bronze script
老 in seal script
Seal script

Chinese character stroke order and structure

老 is written with 6 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.

  • 老 — old; experienced — learn the complete modern shape as one unit

Common usage and sentence patterns

The examples below show 老 in complete beginner-friendly sentences. Read each sentence aloud, notice where the character appears, and then replace one noun or number to create a new sentence of your own.

她是我的老师。 Tā shì wǒ de lǎoshī. She is my teacher.
老人喜欢在公园走路。 Lǎorén xǐhuan zài gōngyuán zǒulù. The elderly person likes walking in the park.
这是我的老朋友。 Zhè shì wǒ de lǎo péngyou. This is my old friend.

Learning tips for 老

Learn the reading as one unit: lǎo, with the third tone: falling then rising. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “old; experienced,” and write the 6 strokes from memory.

Because 老 is a basic form, focus on its proportions and stroke direction. Compare it with 师 (shī, teacher; master); 人 (rén, person); 朋 (péng, friend; companion). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.

Quick review checklist

  • Can you recognize 老 without pinyin?
  • Can you say lǎo with the correct tone and explain “old; experienced”?
  • Can you write all 6 strokes in order?
  • Can you use 老 in one short sentence?

Related characters

Continue learning Chinese characters

Use the Chinese radicals and components guide to understand reusable parts, the stroke order guide to improve handwriting, and the HSK 1 character overview to choose your next beginner lesson.

Sources and editorial note

HanziStory separates documented character history from modern memory stories. Historical-form images are shown only when a matching source file is available; missing stages are skipped rather than invented. Stroke practice uses HanziWriter data.

Last updated: August 12, 2026. Read our sources, editorial method, and correction policy.