楼 lóu — building of two or more stories · English

楼

lóu

building of two or more stories

At a glance · 楼

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「楼」从木娄声，小篆从木婁声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「楼」本义为重屋、楼房，引申楼层、楼阁。

Structure

从木、娄(lóu)声，形声字，木表建筑义类，娄表音。

At a glance

Pinyinlóu

Radical木

Strokes13

UnicodeU+697C

Character type形声

Theme建筑

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English building of two or more stories building of two or more stories

Français tour / bâtiment Tour, bâtiment. «楼观飞惊» : les pavillons.

Español torre / edificio Torre, edificio. «楼观飞惊»: los pabellones.

العربية برج / مبنى برج، مبنى. «楼观飞惊»: الأجنحة.

Русский башня / здание Башня, здание. «楼观飞惊»: павильоны.

Common words

楼房lóu fángbuilding
高楼gāo lóuhigh building

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