如
rú
- Pinyin
- rú
- Pinyin (Plain)
- ru
- Tone
- 2
- Strokes
- 6
- Radical
- 女
- Readings
- rúruTone: 2as; as if; such asOrder: 0Primary
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 344 478 Q 369 562 392 646 Q 404 695 424 720 Q 437 742 430 756 Q 417 775 368 806 Q 347 819 330 811 Q 317 804 326 786 Q 359 735 296 469 L 284 422 Q 280 409 277 394 Q 264 343 239 305 Q 229 280 250 262 Q 302 237 346 202 L 385 172 Q 425 141 478 92 Q 496 76 505 75 Q 515 76 520 87 Q 527 99 521 131 Q 514 159 491 174 Q 466 190 416 217 L 372 240 Q 341 256 304 274 Q 283 284 285 304 Q 309 368 330 435 L 344 478 Z", "M 346 202 Q 282 121 196 81 Q 178 71 161 60 Q 148 53 160 48 Q 173 47 211 57 Q 271 76 318 112 Q 358 140 385 172 L 416 217 Q 461 295 478 351 Q 509 459 526 483 Q 538 501 522 512 Q 480 554 449 547 Q 434 544 440 528 Q 444 515 447 499 L 446 467 Q 422 326 372 240 L 346 202 Z", "M 447 499 Q 398 489 344 478 L 296 469 Q 221 457 144 443 Q 119 439 81 443 Q 68 444 64 433 Q 60 420 69 410 Q 90 391 121 367 Q 131 363 145 370 Q 215 409 284 422 L 330 435 Q 382 450 436 464 Q 440 465 446 467 C 475 475 476 505 447 499 Z", "M 603 456 Q 591 460 568 465 Q 555 469 551 464 Q 544 457 553 440 Q 584 364 601 242 Q 604 205 623 181 Q 642 157 647 173 Q 651 186 653 206 L 650 245 Q 643 266 624 423 C 621 451 621 451 603 456 Z", "M 839 272 Q 863 398 905 439 Q 923 461 905 479 Q 821 537 767 505 Q 701 478 603 456 C 574 449 595 415 624 423 Q 637 426 652 431 Q 716 444 776 459 Q 792 463 799 457 Q 812 445 810 418 Q 800 340 785 277 C 778 248 833 243 839 272 Z", "M 653 206 Q 660 206 670 208 Q 728 221 855 233 Q 867 234 868 245 Q 868 254 839 272 L 785 277 Q 781 277 780 276 Q 710 257 650 245 C 621 239 623 204 653 206 Z"]
- Meaning
- “如” most commonly means “like” or “as,” used to show similarity or to give examples (e.g., “such as…”). It can also mean “if” in some structures, and in classical or formal Chinese it can mean “to follow/comply with” or “to go to.”
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 5/9/2026, 2:28:49 AM
Usage
In modern Mandarin, 如 is most commonly seen as part of compounds rather than as an independent word. One major pattern is “as / like / according to,” especially in set phrases and formal or written Chinese. Examples include 比如/例如 “for example,” 如同 “as / like,” 如下 “as follows,” 如上所述 “as stated above,” and 照办/如约 “to act as agreed.” These uses often show up in texts, instructions, news, and more formal speech, so learners usually meet 如 first in such fixed expressions meaning “as” or “like.” Another important pattern is “if / in case,” especially in written or polite language: 如有问题 “if you have any problems,” 如需帮助 “if you need help,” 如不便 “if it’s inconvenient.” In everyday modern Chinese the single character 如 standing alone is less common, but in compounds it can also convey “such as” (如：…… in lists), or appear in words like 如何 “how,” 如今 “nowadays,” and 如此 “like this/that.” Overall, learners typically understand 如 as a component that adds a formal, often conditional or comparative sense: “as, like, according to, if.”
Handwriting Notes
如 is visually compact and slightly wider than tall, with two clear parts: the 女 (“woman”) component on the left and the 口 (“mouth”) component on the right. In normal handwriting, the left side often looks more flowing and curved, while the right side tends to be boxy and stable, giving the character a balanced left–right feel. The bottom of 女 usually extends a bit downward and to the right, pointing toward the 口, which can help you see the character as one connected unit rather than two separate blocks. In actual handwritten forms, several variations are common. The 女 component is often simplified: its curves may be sharper or more compressed, and the crossing part may be written with a looser, more cursive touch, so it can look quite different from the printed shape while remaining recognizable by overall proportions. The 口 component may be more of an open or slightly skewed rectangle instead of a perfect square, and some writers leave tiny gaps at corners rather than fully closing the box. Despite these variations, the key for recognition is still “curved, slanting left part” plus “small box on the right.” Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained on many such handwritten variants, using stroke patterns and overall shape to correctly identify 如 even when it’s written quickly, with imperfect proportions, or in a personal style.
Description
如 is a common Chinese character meaning “like; as; in accordance with” and also appears in polite or formal expressions such as 请如实回答 (“please answer truthfully”). It is frequently used in words like 如果 (rúguǒ, “if”) and 如同 (rútóng, “like; as”). The modern Mandarin pronunciation is rú (second tone).
Common Words
- 如ru2as
- 倘如tang3 ru2if
- 假如jia3 ru2if
- 如果ru2 guo3if
- 如若ru2 ruo4if
Example Sentences
我喜欢如。
wo3 xi3 huan5 ru2
I like as.
倘如很常见。
tang3 ru2 hen3 chang2 jian4
倘如 is very common.
我们在学习假如。
wo3 men5 zai4 xue2 xi2 jia3 ru2
We are learning if.
这个如果很重要。
zhe4 ge5 ru2 guo3 hen3 zhong4 yao4
This if is important.
请写一下“如”。
qing3 xie3 yi1 xia4 ru2
Please write '如'.