路 (lù) · road, path, route

Measure Word

一条路 tiáo

Meanings

1 road
2 path
3 route

Characters

路

lù

road; path

足 (foot) + 各 (each) - where each foot has walked

Examples

HSK 1

你知道去学校的路吗？

Nǐ zhīdào qù xuéxiào de lù ma?

Do you know the way to school?

HSK 2

这条路很长。

Zhè tiáo lù hěn cháng.

This road is very long.

HSK 3

过马路的时候要小心。

Guò mǎlù de shíhou yào xiǎoxīn.

Be careful when you cross the road.

Tips

usage

路 is also used for bus routes: 1路公共汽车 (Bus Route 1). In addresses, 路 means 'road': 南京路 (Nanjing Road).

Components

radical

足 zú

foot; leg (radical)

Left radical 足 - a foot drawn with the calf above and the toes below. Marks 路 as something walked on by feet: a road, path, route. Same radical drives the leg-verb family 跑 (run), 跳 (jump), 跪 (kneel), 踢 (kick), 跟 (follow). When 足 sits on the left it compresses slightly while keeping all seven strokes.

phonetic

各 gè

each; every (phonetic)

Right phonetic 各 supplies most of the sound (gè → lù, a related velar reading from older Chinese) and a faint semantic flavour: 'each one going their own way'. Roads are precisely where each person heads to a different destination. Same phonetic appears in 客 (guest), 络 (net), 落 (fall) - all the gè/luò sound family.