垃 (lā): garbage
垃 (lā) is a Chinese character meaning “garbage.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 土 (semantic) and 立 (phonetic). It ranks #2509 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 垃 earth. Its radical form 土 (earth) appears in many related characters such as 在 (zài, to exist), 地 (dì, earth, ground), 场 (chǎng, field, place).
Definitions
- garbage
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 垃 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 垃
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 垃圾桶 | lā jī tǒng | rubbish bin |
| 垃圾箱 | lā jī xiāng | rubbish can |
| 垃圾堆 | lā jī duī | garbage heap |
| 垃圾车 | lā jī chē | garbage truck (or other vehicle) |
| 生活垃圾 | shēng huó lā jī | domestic garbage |
| 垃圾食品 | lā jī shí pǐn | junk food |
| 垃圾工 | lā jī gōng | garbage collector |
| 垃圾电邮 | lā jī diàn yóu | see 垃圾郵件|垃圾邮件[la1 ji1 you2 jian4] |
| 垃圾邮件 | lā jī yóu jiàn | junk mail |
| 垃圾股 | lā jī gǔ | junk bonds |
| 洋垃圾 | yáng lā jī | trash or used goods from Western countries |
| 土坷垃 | tǔ kē lā | (dialect) clod of earth |
| 垃圾筒 | lā jī tǒng | trashcan |
| 坷垃 | kē lā | (dialect) clod (of earth) |
垃 appears in 15 compound words: 73 as the first character, 13 as the last, and 13 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 垃 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Example Sentences
垃圾分类是保护环境的重要措施，每个人都应该参与。
Lājī fēnlèi shì bǎohù huánjìng de zhòngyào cuòshī, měi gè rén dōu yīnggāi cānyù.
Garbage sorting is an important measure for environmental protection; everyone should participate.
牛池湾纪律部队宿舍失火 近天台后楼梯垃圾桶焚毁
niú chí wān jì lǜ bù duì sù shě shī huǒ jìn tiān tái hòu lóu tī lā jī tǒng fén huǐ
A fire broke out in the Niu Chi Wan Disciplined Forces dormitory and burned the trash can on the back stairs near the roof
...贡热门景点及露营地录26宗执法 包括乱抛垃圾、非法生火等
. . . gòng rè mén jǐng diǎn jí lù yíng dì lù 2 6 zōng zhí fǎ bāo kuò luàn pāo lā jī , fēi fǎ shēng huǒ děng
... 26 law enforcement cases were recorded at popular attractions and campsites in Gong, including littering and illegal fires
巨型Hello Kitty弃垃圾桶旁 将军澳街坊目击前传后传 网民忆凶...
jù xíng H e l l o K i t t y qì lā jī tǒng páng jiāng jūn ào jiē fāng mù jī qián chuán hòu chuán wǎng mín yì xiōng . . .
Giant Hello Kitty abandoned next to the trash can Tseung Kwan O neighborhood witnessed the prequel and the sequel Netizens remembered the murder...
张艺谋谈间谍通过“垃圾桶交接加密手机”:国安同志说..
zhāng yì móu tán jiān dié tōng guò lā jī tǒng jiāo jiē jiā mì shǒu jī guó ān tóng zhì shuō . .
Zhang Yimou on spies handing over encrypted cell phones through "trash cans": State Security comrades say...
张艺谋回应在电影《惊蛰无声》中“间谍在垃圾桶交接手..
zhāng yì móu huí yīng zài diàn yǐng jīng 蛰 mó shēng zhōng jiān dié zài lā jī tǒng jiāo jiē shǒu . .
Zhang Yimou responds to "spies exchanging hands in garbage cans" in the movie "The Sting is Silent...
很多人跳过栏杆，还丢垃圾。
Hěn duō rén tiào guo lángān, hái diū lājī.
A lot of people climb the railing, and even litter.
汤姆屯了很多垃圾。
Tāngmǔ tún le hěn duō lājī.
Tom has accumulated a lot of junk.
给丢到垃圾桶里去。
Gěi diū dào lājītǒng lǐ qù.
Bung it in the bin.
河对岸有很多的垃圾。
Hé duì'àn yǒu hěn duō de lājī.
There's a lot of trash on the far bank of the river.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 垃 (lā) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 垃 and 泣?
How many strokes does 垃 have?
What is the radical of 垃?
What are the components of 垃?
What are common words containing 垃?
What characters sound the same as 垃 (lā)?
Is 垃 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 垃 with real-time feedback
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