How do you pronounce 老?

老 is pronounced "lǎo" in Mandarin Chinese. The tone number is 3.

What HSK level is 老?

老 is an HSK 3 word on the new HSK exam syllabus. It is HSK 3 on both the old and the new exam.

What words contain the character 老?

Common words with 老 include 二老 (mother and father), 偕老 (to grow old together), 元老 (senior figure), 八老 ("the Eight Great Eminent Officials" of the CPC, abbr. for 八大元老[Ba1 Da4 Yuan2 lao3]), 中老年 (middle and old age).

How do you write 老?

老 has 6 strokes. Its radical is 老. You can view the stroke order animation on our stroke order tool.

老 (lǎo), prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity

Q: What does 老 mean in Chinese?

老 (lǎo) means "prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity; old (of people); venerable (person); experienced; of long standing; always; all the time; of the past; very; outdated; (of meat etc) tough" in Chinese. The new HSK exam tests it at HSK 3.

老

lǎo

prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity; old (of people); venerable (person); experienced

HSK 36 strokes

Character Breakdown

老 = 耂 + 匕

A person leaning on a cane — old

Radical: 老 (no. 125)Strokes: 6

View stroke order →

Definitions

prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity
old (of people)
venerable (person)
experienced
of long standing
always
all the time
of the past
very
outdated
(of meat etc) tough

Example Sentences

老师好！

Lǎoshī hǎo

Hello teacher!

Words Containing 老

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
二老	èr lǎo	mother and father
偕老	xié lǎo	to grow old together
元老	yuán lǎo	senior figure	HSK 7-9
八老	Bā lǎo	"the Eight Great Eminent Officials" of the CPC, abbr. for 八大元老[Ba1 Da4 Yuan2 lao3]
中老年	zhōng lǎo nián

Related Words

一直以来(yī zhí yǐ lái)· in the past always

→

阿(ā)· prefix used before monosyllabic names, kinship terms etc to indicate familiarity

→

一如既往(yī rú jì wǎng)· just as in the past (idiom); as before

→

不到长城非好汉(bù dào Cháng chéng fēi hǎo hàn)· lit. until you reach the Great Wall, you're not a proper person; fig. to get over difficulties before reaching the goal

→

Grammar Notes

Negation with 不HSK 1

Subject + 不 + Verb / Adjective

Possessive 的HSK 1

Possessor + 的 + Noun

Question Word Questions (什么, 谁, 哪)HSK 1

Same as statement, but replace the unknown element with a question word

Progressive Aspect (正在/在...呢)HSK 2

Subject + 正在/在 + Verb (+ Object) + (呢)

Towards/About (对)HSK 2

Subject + 对 + Object + Verb/Adjective

Appears in these articles

HSK levels

New HSK exam: HSK 3
HSK 2.0: HSK 3
HSK Lord study list: HSK 1 list

老: HSK 3 on both the old and the new exam. See where your old level lands

New exam levels follow the CLEC syllabus released 15 November 2025. The first official sitting is announced for 13 December 2026. HSK 7-9 is one advanced band.

On the new HSK 3 exam

Studying for HSK 3? Keep 老 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.

Start studying free The words new HSK 3 adds

Frequently Asked Questions

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.