流 liú — flow · English

流

liú

flow

At a glance · 流

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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。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「流」从水㐬声，小篆从水旒省声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「流」本义为水流移动，引申流传、流放。

Structure

从水、㐬(liú)声，形声字，水表义类，㐬表音。

At a glance

Pinyinliú

Radical氵

Strokes10

UnicodeU+6D41

Character type形声

Theme地理

Six languages, one character

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

English flow flow, circulate, drift; class

Français couler Couler, circuler. «川流不息» : l'eau coule sans cesse.

Español fluir Fluir, circular. «川流不息»: el agua fluye sin cesar.

العربية يسري يسري، يتدفق. «川流不息»: الماء يتدفق بلا توقف.

Русский течь Течь, протекать. «川流不息»: вода течёт без остановки.

Common words

流动liú dòngflow
河流hé liúriver

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