老

lǎo

HSK 3

#179 most

frequent character

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

adjective

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

老 shows a hunched person with messy hair 耂 using a walking stick 匕. It first meant 'old' in age. From there it grew to 'old person' and 'former, old-time'.

Drawn as: hunched person, messy hair; walking stick

老 as a component in other characters

meaning4 characters

sound4 characters

picture1 character

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Example Sentences

我的老师很老。

wǒde lǎoshī hěn lǎo 。

My teacher is very old.

这本书是老书。

zhè běn shū shì lǎo shū 。

This book is an old book.

他是一个老朋友。

tāshì yígè lǎopéngyǒu 。

He is an old friend.

Grammar Points

Expressing "always" with "zongshi"

Using "always" as a complaint with "laoshi"

Words with similar meanings

年长niáncháng

This term specifically refers to someone who is older in age.

This term is often used to describe something that is very old or from the distant past.

老练lǎoliàn

This term emphasizes experience and proficiency due to age or long usage.

Words Starting With 老

老师lǎo shī

honest; sincere; open and guileless; naive

老板lǎo bǎn

老百姓lǎo bǎi xìng

"ordinary people; the ""person in the street""

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Public Lists with 老

Common Adjectives

Descriptive words for size, quality, temperature, mood, and more.

Family & Relationships

Immediate and extended family terms, romantic relationships, friendships.

All words for the HSK 3 test