了 — to finish
- Pinyin
- le · liǎo · liào
- Strokes
- 2
- HSK level
- HSK 1
- Handwriting
- required
This character has more than one reading — le, liǎo, liào — and the pronunciation depends on the word it appears in. The list below gives the syllabus reading for each word.
How to write 了: 2 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. This character is on the HSK handwriting list, so the exam expects you to write it, not only recognise it.
Words with 了 in the HSK syllabus: 17
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.
- 了le—HSK 1
- 除了chúleapart from; besides; in addition toHSK 3
- 了解liǎojiěto understand; to know aboutHSK 3
- 为了wèilefor; for the purpose of; in order toHSK 3
- 受不了shòubuliǎounbearable; unable to endure; can't standHSK 4
- 不得了bùdéliǎodesperately serious; disastrous; extremelyHSK 5
- 了不起liǎobuqǐamazing; terrific; extraordinaryHSK 5
- 得了déleall right!; that's enough!HSK 6
- 算了suànlelet it be; let it pass; forget about itHSK 6
- 罢了bàlea modal particle indicatingHSK 7–9
- 不了了之bùliǎo-liǎozhīto settle a matter by leaving it unsettledHSK 7–9
- 大不了dàbuliǎoat worst; if worst comes to worst; serious; alarmingHSK 7–9
- 了结liǎojiéto settle; to finish; to conclude; to wind upHSK 7–9
- 没完没了méiwán-méiliǎowithout end; incessantly; on and onHSK 7–9
- 免不了miǎnbuliǎounavoidable; can't be avoidedHSK 7–9
- 少不了shǎobuliǎocannot do without; to be unavoidableHSK 7–9
- 一目了然yímù-liǎoránobvious at a glanceHSK 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.