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賚 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
賚làito bestow, to confer; surnamex, 15 strokes, radical 貝
lài(lai4) T4
  1. 1to bestow, to confer; surname
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March 24, 2026

賚lài(lai4)

The character 賚 (lài) means 'to bestow' or 'to confer,' typically signifying the act of giving or granting something valuable or significant. It is often used in formal contexts, such as in ceremonies or when discussing honors and rewards. Additionally, it can also be a surname in Chinese culture.

Strokes15Radical貝
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the act of bestowing gifts or honors is significant, especially in traditional ceremonies such as weddings or award presentations, where the character 賚 might be encountered.

Memory Tip

Imagine a king bestowing a rare treasure (represented by the character's intricate form) upon a loyal subject. The left side '貝' (a radical meaning 'treasure' or 'money') hints at wealth, while the right side '來' (to come) suggests that something valuable is being brought to someone.

Meanings of 賚

lài(lai4)
1to bestow, to confer; surname
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 賚

賚Simplified
15Strokes
貝Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 賚

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Podcast: 賚

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AI Study Notes for 賚

Usage Notes

Be mindful that 賚 is primarily used in formal contexts and may not be commonly used in everyday conversation. It often appears in literary or official texts. A common collocation is 賜賚 (cìlài), meaning 'to confer a gift' which emphasizes the act of bestowal.

HSK Study Tips

Although 賚 is not included in the HSK levels, it relates to other characters involving giving or bestowing, such as 赐 (cì) and 赠 (zèng). Students at a similar level should focus on recognizing the formal usages of these verbs in context.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 賚 with similar characters like 赐 or 赠, which have related but distinct meanings. For example, saying '我赐你这件礼物' (Wǒ cì nǐ zhè jiàn lǐwù) instead of '我賚你这件礼物' is correct, as 赐 is more commonly used for giving gifts.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 賚

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Etymology of 賚

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

money

Semantic (meaning)貝
+
Phonetic (sound)來
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 賚

  1. 1The meaning half貝 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half來 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaymoney
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 賚? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 賚?

Decomposition of 賚

IDS Structure⿱來貝
賚Full Character
=
來lai2
top
貝bei4
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 賚?

How to say to bestow, to confer; surname in Chinese

“to bestow, to confer; surname” in Chinese is賚lài

The character 賚 (lài) means 'to bestow' or 'to confer,' typically signifying the act of giving or granting something valuable or significant. It is often used in formal contexts, such as in ceremonies or when discussing honors and rewards. Additionally, it can also be a surname in Chinese culture.

When to use 賚

Be mindful that 賚 is primarily used in formal contexts and may not be commonly used in everyday conversation. It often appears in literary or official texts. A common collocation is 賜賚 (cìlài), meaning 'to confer a gift' which emphasizes the act of bestowal.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 賚 with similar characters like 赐 or 赠, which have related but distinct meanings. For example, saying '我赐你这件礼物' (Wǒ cì nǐ zhè jiàn lǐwù) instead of '我賚你这件礼物' is correct, as 赐 is more commonly used for giving gifts.

Write 賚

賚

Practice writing 賚 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 賚

Words Containing This Character4
赉làito bestow賚
镇赉县Zhenlai county in Baicheng 白城, Jilin鎮賚縣
扎赉特旗Jalaid banner, Mongolian Zhalaid khoshuu, in Hinggan league 興安盟|兴安盟[Xīng​'ān​méng], east Inner Mongolia扎賚特旗
镇赉Zhenlai county in Baicheng 白城, Jilin鎮賚
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 赉 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 賚

It is pronounced as 'lài'.

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