乐 — happy; cheerful; to laugh
- Pinyin
- lào · lè · yuè · Lè
- Strokes
- 5
- HSK level
- HSK 2
- Handwriting
- recognition only
This character has more than one reading — lào, lè, yuè, Lè — and the pronunciation depends on the word it appears in. The list below gives the syllabus reading for each word.
How to write 乐: 5 strokes
Each cell adds one stroke to the previous ones, with the new stroke in red. Stroke order is not decoration: it sets the proportions of the character and makes handwriting legible to a reader. The syllabus asks you to recognise this character rather than write it by hand.
Words with 乐 in the HSK syllabus: 22
Every word in the official 2026 syllabus that contains this character, with the level it is introduced at. Learning a character pays off through these: each one combines with the characters you already know.
- 快乐kuàilèhappy; joyfulHSK 2
- 音乐yīnyuèmusicHSK 3
- 乐观lèguānoptimistic; hopefulHSK 5
- 乐趣lèqùdelight; pleasure; joyHSK 5
- 娱乐yúlèto entertain; to amuse; entertainment; recreationHSK 5
- 欢乐huānlègaiety; gladness; glee; merriment; pleasure; happyHSK 6
- 俱乐部jùlèbùclubHSK 6
- 乐于lèyúwilling; to take pleasure inHSK 6
- 乐器yuèqìmusical instrumentHSK 6
- 乐曲yuèqǔmusical compositionHSK 6
- 不亦乐乎búyìlèhūlit. isn't that a joy?; fig. extremely; awfullyHSK 7–9
- 吃喝玩乐chī-hē-wán-lèto eat, drink, play and be merryHSK 7–9
- 交响乐jiāoxiǎngyuèsymphonyHSK 7–9
- 乐此不疲lècǐ-bùpíto enjoy sth and never tire of itHSK 7–9
- 乐意lèyìto be willing to do sth; to be ready to do sthHSK 7–9
- 乐园lèyuánparadiseHSK 7–9
- 天伦之乐tiānlúnzhīlèfamily love and joy; domestic blissHSK 7–9
- 喜怒哀乐xǐ-nù-āi-lèhappiness, anger, sorrow, and joy; emotionsHSK 7–9
- 喜闻乐见xǐwén-lèjiànto love to hear and see; well receivedHSK 7–9
- 乐队yuèduìband; pop groupHSK 7–9
- 乐谱yuèpǔa musical score; sheet musicHSK 7–9
- 知足常乐zhīzú-chánglèsatisfied with what one hasHSK 7–9
Glosses come from CC-CEDICT, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, and are the dictionary’s first sense rather than a translation chosen for context.