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老 (lǎo) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 3

老 (lǎo) is a Chinese word: old. This page shows its pinyin, translation, example sentences, character breakdown, decomposition, and HSK level.

Meaning of 老

形 xíng adjective

old

这座老房子有一百年的历史。

zhè zuò lǎo fáng zi yǒu yī bǎi nián de lì shǐ

This old house has a hundred years of history.

前缀 qián zhuì prefix

old (prefix denoting familiarity or seniority)

老王是我的好朋友。

lǎo wáng shì wǒ de hǎo péng you

Old Wang is my good friend.

副 fù adverb

always

他老迟到。

tā lǎo chí dào

He's always late.

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Word breakdown

老 lǎo — old

Words with this character (24)
Show more (+19)
  • 6 老虎 lǎo hǔ — tiger HSK 4
    • 老 descriptive prefix (adds emphasis/reverence)
    • 虎 tiger (the core animal meaning)
    Example

    老虎是森林之王。

    lǎo hǔ shì sēn lín zhī wáng

    The tiger is the king of the forest.

  • 7 古老 gǔ lǎo — ancient HSK 5
    • 古 ancient, from old times
    • 老 old, aged (emphasizing long existence)
    Example

    这是一座古老的建筑。

    zhè shì yī zuò gǔ lǎo de jiàn zhù

    This is an ancient building.

  • 8 老公 lǎo gōng — husband HSK 5
    • 老 familiar/affectionate prefix
    • 公 male/man
    Example

    我老公在公司工作。

    wǒ lǎo gōng zài gōng sī gōng zuò

    My husband works at a company.

  • 9 老婆 lǎo po — wife HSK 5
    • 老 old (familiar prefix)
    • 婆 woman, wife
    Example

    他很爱他的老婆。

    tā hěn ài tā de lǎo po

    He loves his wife very much.

  • 10 老板 lǎo bǎn — boss HSK 5
    • 老 prefix indicating seniority or authority
    • 板 board, representing authority figure
    Example

    这家餐厅的老板是我朋友。

    zhè jiā cān tīng de lǎo bǎn shì wǒ péng you

    The owner of this restaurant is my friend.

  • 11 老百姓 lǎo bǎi xìng — common people HSK 5
    • 老 prefix indicating familiarity and respect
    • 百 hundred (representing many or all)
    • 姓 surname (representing families/people)
    Example

    政府应该为老百姓做实事。

    zhèng fǔ yīng gāi wèi lǎo bǎi xìng zuò shí shì

    The government should do practical things for the common people.

  • 12 养老 yǎng lǎo — provide for the aged HSK 6
    • 养 to support, to provide for, to care for
    • 老 the elderly, old age
    Example

    子女有养老的责任。

    zǐ nǚ yǒu yǎng lǎo de zé rèn

    Children have the responsibility to provide for their elderly parents.

  • 13 养老院 yǎng lǎo yuàn — nursing home HSK 6
    • 养 to care for, to support
    • 老 elderly, old
    • 院 institution, facility
    Example

    我奶奶住在一家很好的养老院。

    wǒ nǎi nai zhù zài yì jiā hěn hǎo de yǎng lǎo yuàn

    My grandmother lives in a very good nursing home.

  • 14 老太太 lǎo tài tai — old lady HSK 6
    • 老 old, elderly
    • 太 first character of 太太 (lady, Mrs.)
    • 太 second character of 太太 (lady, Mrs.)
    Example

    这位老太太很和蔼可亲。

    zhè wèi lǎo tài tai hěn hé ǎi kě qīn

    This old lady is very kind and amiable.

  • 15 老实 lǎo shi — honest HSK 6
    • 老 solid/steady (character)
    • 实 true/genuine
    Example

    他是个老实人。

    tā shì gè lǎo shi rén

    He is an honest person.

  • 16 老鼠 lǎo shǔ — mouse, rat HSK 6
    • 老 prefix (doesn't mean 'old' here, forms the compound)
    • 鼠 rodent, mouse, rat
    Example

    这只猫很会抓老鼠。

    zhè zhī māo hěn huì zhuā lǎo shǔ

    This cat is very good at catching mice.

  • 17 衰老 shuāi lǎo — aging HSK 6
    • 衰 decline, deterioration
    • 老 old age, becoming old
    Example

    科学家正在研究如何延缓衰老。

    kē xué jiā zhèng zài yán jiū rú hé yán huǎn shuāi lǎo

    Scientists are studying how to delay aging.

  • 18 元老 yuán lǎo — elder statesman; veteran; senior member HSK 7
    • 元 original; founding; senior
    • 老 elder; veteran; experienced
    Example

    他是公司的元老，工作了三十年。

    tā shì gōng sī de yuán lǎo gōng zuò le sān shí nián

    He is a veteran of the company, having worked here for thirty years.

  • 19 老乡 lǎo xiāng — fellow townsman HSK 7
    • 老 familiar/affectionate prefix
    • 乡 hometown/native place
    Example

    听到有人说家乡话，原来是老乡啊！

    tīng dào yǒu rén shuō jiā xiāng huà yuán lái shì lǎo xiāng a

    Hearing someone speak the hometown dialect, it turns out they're a fellow townsman!

  • 20 老人家 lǎo rén jiā — elderly person (respectful) HSK 7
    • 老 old, elderly (indicates age and seniority)
    • 人 person (the individual being referred to)
    • 家 suffix adding respect and warmth to the term
    Example

    老人家，请坐。

    lǎo rén jiā qǐng zuò

    Please sit down, elderly sir/madam.

  • 21 老伴儿 lǎo bàn r — spouse (of an elderly couple) HSK 7
    • 老 old, elderly (indicates this is a spouse in old age)
    • 伴 companion, partner (core meaning of spouse)
    • 儿 diminutive suffix (adds colloquial, affectionate tone)
    Example

    我的老伴儿今天去看医生了。

    wǒ de lǎo bàn r jīn tiān qù kàn yī shēng le

    My spouse went to see the doctor today.

  • 22 老化 lǎo huà — to age HSK 7
    • 老 old
    • 化 to transform, to become
    Example

    为了防止皮肤老化，她每天都使用防晒霜。

    wèi le fáng zhǐ pí fū lǎo huà tā měi tiān dōu shǐ yòng fáng shài shuāng

    To prevent skin aging, she uses sunscreen every day.

  • 23 老大 lǎo dà — very HSK 7
    • 老 intensifying prefix meaning 'very'
    • 大 great, much; combines with 老 to mean 'very'
    Example

    他老大不高兴。

    tā lǎo dà bù gāo xìng

    He is very unhappy.

  • 24 老字号 lǎo zì hào — time-honored brand HSK 7
    • 老 old, long-established, venerable
    • 字 name, designation
    • 号 shop, firm, business
    Example

    这家老字号已经有一百多年的历史了。

    zhè jiā lǎo zì hào yǐ jīng yǒu yì bǎi duō nián de lì shǐ le

    This time-honored brand has over a hundred years of history.

Structure & writing
1 老 lǎo — old; aged (opposite of 少/幼)
老 is a component in 2 characters
HSK 5
姥 lǎo maternal grandfather (see 姥爷)
HSK 7
嗜 shì to love, to have a particular fondness for

consists of

1.1 耂 lǎo — old age/elder radical
耂 is a component in 4 characters
HSK 1
老 lǎo old; aged (opposite of 少/幼)
HSK 2
考 kǎo to quiz; to test someone's ability by posing questions
HSK 3
者 zhě particle after adjectives or verbs indicating a person or thing with that quality or doing that action
HSK 7
孝 xiào to respect and support one's parents
1.2 匕 bǐ — ancient ladle or spoon for scooping food
匕 is a component in 11 characters
HSK 1
它 tā third-person pronoun for non-human things; it 老 lǎo old; aged (opposite of 少/幼) 能 néng ability; talent; skill
HSK 2
比 bǐ to compare; to compete
HSK 3
化 huà to change in nature or form; to transform
HSK 4
匙 shi see '钥匙': ① key for locking or unlocking; ② fig. method or approach for solving a problem 此 cǐ this; this one (opposed to 彼) 死 sǐ to die; to lose life (opposite of "活"/"生")
HSK 6
颖 yǐng awn-bearing husk of certain grasses (e.g. rice, wheat)
HSK 7
旨 zhǐ delicious; tasty 顷 qǐng unit of area equal to 100 亩 (approx. 6.6667 hectares)

Stroke order