阿 Stroke Order — How to Write 阿
阿 is written in 8 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 阝, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
阿 Radical and Character Components
阿 is a phono-semantic compound: 阝 (place) carries the meaning, while 可 indicates the sound.
Radical: 阝 + 5 more strokes
阿 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- ā
- ē
Meanings of 阿 in Chinese
1
ā阿
Used as a prefix to names or kinship terms, similar to 'A-' in some English dialects or simply indicating familiarity/endearment. For example, '阿婆' (granny), '阿弟' (younger brother).
阿婆正在公园里散步。
Granny is taking a walk in the park.
2
ē阿
To flatter, to fawn on, or to pander to someone's preferences, often with a sense of servility.
为了得到提拔，他总是阿谀奉承上司
He always flatters his boss in order to get promoted.
Refers to a hollow, a bend, or a recessed area, often in mountainous terrain, as in 'mountain hollow' (山阿).
他们计划在山阿处建一座小木屋。
They plan to build a small cabin in the mountain hollow.
Common Words and Phrases with 阿
1
Abba (or 'aba') is a transliteration of a Chinese term, specifically 'ā bà', which means 'father' or 'daddy'. It is an affectionate term for one's father.
阿爸，我今天在学校得了奖状！
Dad, I received an award certificate at school today!
2
Avici (Sanskrit transliteration), meaning "uninterrupted" or "without interval"; it is the lowest and most severe of the eight Buddhist hells, a place of ceaseless suffering.
他似乎在经历阿鼻般的痛苦，脸色苍白，眼神空洞。
He seemed to be experiencing Avici-like suffering, his face pale, his eyes hollow.
3
The Apollo program was a series of U.S. space missions that successfully landed humans on the Moon and returned them safely to Earth.
阿波罗计划的成功证明了人类探索太空的无限潜力。
The success of the Apollo program demonstrated humanity's boundless potential for space exploration.
4
The Achang nationality is a minority ethnic group primarily residing in southwestern Yunnan Province, China.
每逢节日，阿昌族村寨都会举行热闹的歌舞表演
During festivals, Achang villages hold lively song and dance performances.
5
Atabrine (also known as quinacrine), a yellow bitter powder, is an antimalarial drug formerly widely used to prevent and treat malaria, but now largely replaced by chloroquine.
医生建议患者服用阿的平来治疗疟疾。
The doctor advised the patient to take Atebrin to treat malaria.
6
younger brother; a polite term for a young man
阿弟很喜欢玩积木，每次都能搭出不同的形状。
My little brother loves playing with building blocks; he always builds different shapes.
7
Adou (ā,dǒu) refers to Liu Shan, the incompetent son of Liu Bei during the Three Kingdoms period. It is now used metaphorically to describe an ignorant, weak, or good-for-nothing person.
小明在处理这份复杂的工作时表现得像个阿斗，完全不知所措。
Xiao Ming acted like an Adou when dealing with this complex task, completely at a loss.
8
A colloquial term for money.
他总是对那些能够带来阿堵的生意特别感兴趣。
He is always particularly interested in businesses that can bring in money.
9
this thing (a euphemism for money, often used to refer to money by someone who disdains it)
为了生计，他每日辛勤工作，只为挣得一些阿堵物以维持家人温饱。
For a living, he works diligently every day, only to earn some money to provide for his family's basic needs.
10
Epang Palace (阿房宫) was a magnificent, large-scale palace complex started by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, in 212 BC. It remained unfinished at the fall of the Qin Dynasty and was later burned down by Xiang Yu.
阿房宫是秦朝时期一座气势恢宏的宫殿，它的名字常常让人联想到古代的辉煌与奢华。
Epang Palace was a magnificent palace complex from the Qin Dynasty, and its name often evokes images of ancient splendor and luxury.
11
A youth known for unconventional dress and often rowdy behavior, similar to a Teddy boy or beatnik.
那群阿飞在街头巷尾游荡，总是制造些小麻烦。
Those 'afei' loitered around the streets and alleys, always causing a bit of trouble.
12
Opium.
旧时，一些人因不知其害，误将阿芙蓉当作能治病的药材使用。
In old times, some people, unaware of its harm, mistakenly used opium as a medicinal herb.
13
to fawn on and echo
为了在公司里得到更好的发展，小李总是阿附上司，言听计从
To secure better career development within the company, Xiao Li always flatters his superior and is excessively compliant.
14
Elder brother or son; specifically, in the Qing Dynasty, a young prince.
小丽对身边的阿哥说，这山路真美啊！
Xiao Li said to the young man beside her, 'This mountain road is truly beautiful!'
15
Grandfather, father-in-law, a respectful term for an elderly man, or dad.
小明周末常去看望他的阿公，陪他聊天
Xiao Ming often visits his grandpa on weekends to chat with him.
16
An Imam or Mulla, an Islamic religious leader who presides over ceremonies and explains the Quran.
阿訇在清真寺里主持了周五的礼拜。
The imam led the Friday prayer in the mosque.
More words with 阿
- shān山ē阿a hill or a mound
- dà大ā阿gē哥Eldest Prince
- ā阿pó婆Grandma, Old woman
- ā阿yí姨Aunt, Auntie
- wáng王ā阿yí姨Aunt Wang, Ms. Wang
- ā阿yí姨jiā家Aunt's house, Aunty's house
- lǐ李ā阿yí姨Auntie Li, Aunt Li
- sù宿guǎn管ā阿yí姨Dormitory manager, Dorm supervisor
- zhāng张ā阿yí姨Aunt Zhang, Auntie Zhang
- zhèng正zhí直bù不ā阿impartial, incorruptible
- dǒng董ā阿yí姨Aunt Dong, Ms. Dong
- duǒ朵ā阿yí姨Aunt Duo, Ms. Duo
- lài赖ā阿yí姨Aunt Lai, Auntie Lai
- pān潘ā阿yí姨Aunt Pan, Ms. Pan
- ruǎn阮ā阿yí姨Aunt Ruan, Aunty Ruan
- sūn孙ā阿yí姨Aunt Sun, Ms. Sun
- xí习ā阿yí姨Aunt Xi, Aunty Xi
- ā阿gōng公ā阿pó婆Grandpa and Grandma
- lǐ李ā阿yí姨jiā家Aunt Li's house, Aunt Li's home
Idioms with 阿
- ā阿dǒu斗tài太zǐ子an incompetent good-for-nothing person
- ā阿māo猫ā阿gǒu狗any random insignificant person
- ē阿mí弥tuó陀fó佛May Buddha preserve us
- ē阿qí其suǒ所hào好Cater to someone's preferences
- ē阿shí时qū趋sú俗Cater to current trends and popular customs
- ē阿yú谀chǎn谄mèi媚fawn and flatter to win favor
- ē阿yú谀féng逢yíng迎flatter and fawn on
- ē阿yú谀fèng奉chéng承to flatter obsequiously and curry favor
- fǎ法bù不ē阿guì贵The law is impartial to all
- gāng刚zhèng正bù不ē阿Upright, firm, and impartial
- gāng刚zhí直bù不ē阿upright and unbending
- gōng公zhèng正bù不ē阿impartial and incorruptible
Recommended tools
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →Questions about 阿
What does 阿 mean in Chinese?
阿 (ā) means “Used as a prefix to names or kinship terms, similar to 'A-' in some English dialects or simply indicating familiarity/endearment. For example, '阿婆' (granny), '阿弟' (younger brother)” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 阿?
阿 has 2 pronunciations: ā, ē.
How many strokes does 阿 have?
阿 has 8 strokes.
How do you write 阿?
阿 is written in 8 strokes, starting from the radical 阝. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 阿?
The radical of 阿 is 阝, and 阿 is a phono-semantic compound.