楼 (lóu) means "floor" with HSK 2 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: floor
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
楼 is a phono-semantic compound and does not appear in oracle bone script. The left component 木 (tree/wood) signals the semantic category, indicating that the character refers to something made of wood. The right component 娄 (lóu) supplies the phonetic reading.
Form evolution
Because 楼 is a later formation, its earliest clear appearances are in seal script where 木 sits alongside a full 婁 phonetic. Clerical script squared off the strokes and shrank 木 to its narrow left-hand form. The traditional 樓 was simplified to 楼 in the PRC reform by replacing 婁 with the reduced 娄.
How the meaning evolved
The original reference was to a multi-storey wooden structure, a building with an upper floor raised above the ground level. From there the meaning extended to any floor or storey of a building, so 二楼 means the second floor. In modern usage it also covers multi-storey buildings generally, including 办公楼 (office building) and 楼房 as a contrast to single-storey houses.
Cultural note
The word 楼 appears in many classical place names such as 黄鹤楼 (Yellow Crane Tower) and 岳阳楼, both subjects of famous Tang and Song poems. Learners often confuse 楼 (the floor or the whole multi-storey building) with 层, which specifically counts storeys as a measure word.
Basic info
| Pinyin | lóu |
| Meanings | floor |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 2 |
| Frequency | #1476 most common |
Example sentences
我住在三楼。
Wǒ zhù zài sān lóu.
I live on the third floor.
From 楼 (HSK 2)
Words containing 楼
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 楼 | lóu | floor | HSK 2 |
On the new HSK 2 exam
Studying for HSK 2? Keep 楼 with the rest of your level.
HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.