蓝
blue
HSK level
- Pinyin
- lán
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Level
- HSK 3
- Strokes
- 13
- Register
- neutral
Stroke order for 蓝
蓝 is written with 13 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
What does 蓝 mean?
蓝 (lán) is the Chinese color word for blue — the color of the sky, the sea, and jeans.
As a color adjective, it almost always combines with 色 (sè, 'color') to form 蓝色 (lán sè, 'the color blue / blue-colored'), which is what you actually use to describe an object: 蓝色的衣服 (blue clothes), not 蓝衣服. Bare 蓝 stays in compounds and proper names: 天蓝 (sky blue), 海蓝 (sea blue), 蓝牙 (Bluetooth, literally 'blue tooth').
Two notes for English speakers: first, Classical Chinese sometimes used 青 (qīng) to cover both blue and green, which is why you'll still see 青 for 'dark blue / blue-green' in poetry and place names. Second, the color does NOT carry the 'sad' connotation that 'blue' has in English — 'feeling blue' is 心情不好 (xīnqíng bù hǎo), never 蓝.
Memory hook: 蓝 has 艹 on top because indigo dye comes from a plant — the original 'blue' was extracted from leaves.
Example sentences
今天天很蓝。
Jīntiān tiān hěn lán.
The sky is very blue today.
spoken
我喜欢蓝色。
Wǒ xǐhuan lán sè.
I like the color blue.
neutral
她穿了一件蓝色的衣服。
Tā chuān le yí jiàn lán sè de yīfu.
She wore a blue piece of clothing.
neutral
海是蓝的，天也是蓝的。
Hǎi shì lán de, tiān yě shì lán de.
The sea is blue, and so is the sky.
written
Common phrases with 蓝
Synonyms
青 is older and broader — covers blue, green, and dark colors depending on context (青天 = blue sky; 青草 = green grass). For everyday modern color talk, use 蓝 for blue and 绿 for green; 青 stays in fixed expressions.
Don't confuse 蓝 with
Frequently asked questions
Acquire it by listening
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