露 (lù): dew

Meanings

1 dew
2 syrup; nectar (drink extract)
3 to reveal; to show; to expose
4 outdoors; in the open

Characters

露

lù

dew; to reveal (formal/written)

Examples

HSK 2

早晨草地上有很多露水。

Zǎochen cǎodì shàng yǒu hěn duō lùshuǐ.

There is a lot of dew on the grass in the morning.

HSK 7-9

丑闻终于被揭露了。

Chǒuwén zhōngyú bèi jiēlù le.

The scandal was finally exposed.

HSK 7-9

她的衣服露出了肩膀。

Tā de yīfu lù chū le jiānbǎng.

Her clothes exposed her shoulders.

Tips

usage

露 is the formal/written reading and covers ALL the meanings: dew (露水), expose (暴露), reveal (揭露), and the sweet-extract sense (甘露, 杏仁露). The colloquial lòu reading is reserved for a small set of spoken idioms about showing oneself off.

memory

Picture morning dew on the road: 雨 (rain) over 路 (road). The phonetic 路 gives the sound exactly; the meaning extends from visible moisture to anything visible - extract, drink, exposure.

Components

radical

雨 yǔ

rain

Top rain radical - the indexing radical and meaning anchor. Dew condenses overnight from atmospheric moisture, so the rain canopy fits. Many weather characters share this top: 雪 (snow), 雷 (thunder), 霜 (frost), 雾 (fog) - all moisture from the sky.

phonetic

路 lù

road; path

Bottom 路 gives an exact phonetic match for the lù reading. The imagery fits beautifully: dew on the road, the visible exposure along a path. The 13-stroke 路 sits unmodified beneath 雨, a clean compound with the phonetic carrying its full standalone shape.