老 (lǎo) means "old" with 6 strokes, radical 老 (old), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: old
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The oracle-bone form depicts a stooped person with long unkempt hair leaning on a staff or cane. The upper portion is the hair, the middle is a bent human figure, and the lower element is the walking stick. It is a direct pictograph of an elderly person, not a compound.
Form evolution
Bronze forms kept the hair, bent body, and stick clearly separate. Seal script regularised the figure into the upper 耂 component (hair plus bent body) over a stick-like element, and clerical script fused the lower stroke into what looks like 匕. The modern 老 preserves this 耂 + 匕 structure, though the original pictographic meaning is no longer visible at a glance.
How the meaning evolved
The original meaning was literally old or aged, referring to elderly people, and this remains central in modern usage. It extended to senses of long-standing, experienced, and respected (老师, 老板, 老朋友), and further to a familiar prefix marking habituality or affection (老虎, 老公). In some contexts it also means tough or overcooked (肉太老了), a shift from the idea of being past prime.
Cultural note
老 is culturally positive in Chinese in a way that old is often not in English. Calling someone 老 in compounds like 老师 or 老王 conveys respect or familiarity rather than age-shaming, which trips up learners who translate it as simply old.
Mnemonic
A person leaning on a cane — old
Decomposition
Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.
Basic info
| Pinyin | lǎo |
| Meanings | old |
| Stroke count | 6 strokes |
| Radical | 老 (#125: old) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #195 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 老
Related characters
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.