路 lù — road · English

路

lù

road

At a glance · 路

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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.

「路」从足各声，小篆从足路声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「路」本义为道路、途径，引申路途、线路、路线。

Structure

从足、各声，形声字，足表道路义类，各表音，本为道。

At a glance

Pinyinlù

Radical足

Strokes13

UnicodeU+8DEF

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 road road, path, street; journey

Français route / chemin Route, chemin. «路侠槐卿» : le long des routes.

Español camino / ruta Camino, ruta. «路侠槐卿»: a lo largo de los caminos.

العربية طريق / سبيل طريق، سبيل. «路侠槐卿»: على جوانب الطرق.

Русский дорога / путь Дорога, путь. «路侠槐卿»: вдоль дорог.

Common words

道路dào lùroad
路口lù kǒuintersection

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