DICTIONARY
The Chinese word lao - 老 - lǎo
(old in Chinese)
Phonetic script (Hanyu Pinyin)
lǎo
Listen to pronunciation
(Mandarin = standard Chinese without accent)
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English translations
old, experienced,
wizened, wise
Chinese character and stroke order animation"How do I write 老 ( lǎo ) correctly?"
The strokes that all Chinese characters are composed of are to be written in a certain order which has originally been defined by Chinese calligraphy. Writing all characters according to the same rules assures that their intended shape and style are generally preserved even if written by different writers.
This dictionary shows you the correct stroke order as an animation for all characters so you can learn and understand how to write the character correctly. :
The strokes that all Chinese characters are composed of are to be written in a certain order which has originally been defined by Chinese calligraphy. Writing all characters according to the same rules assures that their intended shape and style are generally preserved even if written by different writers.
This dictionary shows you the correct stroke order as an animation for all characters so you can learn and understand how to write the character correctly. :
The traditional Chinese characters of lǎo are identical with the modern (simplified) characters displayed above.
Chinese Pinyin example sentence with 老 ( lao / lǎo ) ⓘWriting in Pinyin
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Zaijian, lao pengyou!
Zàijiàn, lǎo péngyǒu!– English translation: Goodbye, old friend!
Topic
Character complexity
老 is composed of 6 strokes and therefore is of low complexity compared to the other simplified Chinese characters (average: 13.1 strokes).
Tags and additional information
(Meaning of individual characters, character components etc.)
teacher | experienced | (of persons)
老 ( lao / lǎo ) belongs to the 100 most common Chinese characters (rank 96)
老 ( lao / lǎo ) belongs to the 100 most common Chinese characters (rank 96)
Chinese example words containing the character 老 ( lao / lǎo )
打老鼠 ( dàlǎoshǔ = rat ), 抗老防皱 ( kànglǎofángzhòu = anti wrinkle ), 老舍 ( Lǎo Shě = Lao She ), 老板 ( lǎobǎn = boss ), 老虎 ( lǎohǔ = tiger ), 老虎钳 ( lǎohǔqián = vise ), 老骥伏枥志在千里 ( lǎojìfúlì zhìzàiqiānlǐ = an old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand li ), 老人 ( lǎorén = old people ), 老师 ( lǎoshī = teacher ), 老鼠 ( lǎoshǔ = mouse ), 小老鼠 ( xiǎolǎoshǔ = mouse )
Other characters that are pronounced lǎo in Chinese
Report missing or erroneous translation of lao in English
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Version 5.52 / Last updated: 2026-11-03