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齡 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
齡língage; yearszg, 20 strokes, radical 齒
líng(ling2)ling T2
  1. 1age; years
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March 24, 2026

齡líng(ling2)

The character 齡 (líng) refers to age or years in the context of a person's life or the duration of time. It is often used in more formal or literary contexts, typically relating to age in terms of respect or social status.

Strokes20Radical齒
Cultural note

In Chinese culture, age is often associated with wisdom, respect, and social hierarchy. The character 齡 reflects this cultural significance, where older individuals are often given greater respect and authority.

Memory tip

Imagine a wise old sage (representing age) who has many years of experience, symbolized by the components of 齡: the radical 齐 (meaning 'even' or 'together') suggests a gathering of years, while the phonetic element reflects the sound 'líng'. Picture the sage counting his years aloud, 'líng', as he reflects on his wisdom.

Meanings of 齡

líng(ling2)
1age; years
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

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About 齡

齡Simplified
20Strokes
齒Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

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Podcast: 齡

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AI study notes for 齡

Usage Notes

Be cautious not to confuse 齡 with the more commonly used 年龄 (niánlíng), which is more informal and used in everyday conversation. 齡 is typically used in written contexts or formal speeches. Additionally, remember that 齡 is rarely used to describe the age of non-human entities.

HSK Study Tips

While 齡 is not included in the HSK vocabulary lists, it connects with other age-related terms like 年 (nián, year) and 年龄 (niánlíng, age). Students should focus on contextual usage and differentiation from similar terms as they progress through their studies.

Common Mistakes

Learners often mistakenly use 齡 in casual conversations where 年龄 would be appropriate. For instance, saying '你今年齡多少?' (nǐ jīnnián líng duōshao?) instead of '你今年年龄多少?' (nǐ jīnnián niánlíng duōshao?).

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 齡

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Etymology of 齡

Formation typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 齿 represents the meaning and 令 represents the sound. Simplified form of 齡.

Memory hint

age

Semantic (meaning)齒
+
Phonetic (sound)令
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

齡 = 齒 + 令. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 齡

IDS Structure⿰齒令
齡Full character
=
齒chi3
left
令Ling2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 齡?

How to say age; years in Chinese

“age; years” in Chinese is齡líng

The character 齡 (líng) refers to age or years in the context of a person's life or the duration of time. It is often used in more formal or literary contexts, typically relating to age in terms of respect or social status.

When to use 齡

Be cautious not to confuse 齡 with the more commonly used 年龄 (niánlíng), which is more informal and used in everyday conversation. 齡 is typically used in written contexts or formal speeches. Additionally, remember that 齡 is rarely used to describe the age of non-human entities.

What learners get wrong

Learners often mistakenly use 齡 in casual conversations where 年龄 would be appropriate. For instance, saying '你今年齡多少?' (nǐ jīnnián líng duōshao?) instead of '你今年年龄多少?' (nǐ jīnnián niánlíng duōshao?).

Write 齡

齡

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

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Word Family of 齡

Words containing this character20
年龄niánlíng(a person's) age年齡
保龄球bǎolíngqiúbowling ball保齡球
龄língage齡
高龄gāolíngelderly高齡
同龄tónglíngof the same age同齡
同龄人tónglíngrénpeer同齡人
适龄shìlíngof age適齡
老龄化lǎolínghuàaging (population)老齡化
老龄lǎolíngold age老齡
工龄gōnglíngseniority工齡
宋庆龄sòngqìnglíngSong Qingling or Rosemonde Soong (1893-1981), wife of Sun Yat-sen 孫中山|孙中山[Sūn​Zhōng​shān]宋慶齡
妙龄miàolíng(of a girl) in the prime of youth妙齡
学龄xuélíngschool age學齡
宋美龄sòngměilíngSoong Mei-ling (1898-2003), Chiang Kai-shek's second wife宋美齡
大龄dàlíngolder (than average in a group, at school, for marriage etc)大齡
超龄chāolíngtoo old超齡
婚龄hūnlíngmarriageable age婚齡
芳龄fānglíngage (of a young woman)芳齡
育龄yùlíngchildbearing age育齡
蒲松龄púsōnglíngPu Songling (1640-1715), author of 聊齋志異|聊斋志异[Liáo​zhāi​Zhì​yì]蒲松齡
Exercise 1 of 4

Words with 齡

What does 年龄 mean?

Frequently asked questions about 齡

You can say '他的年龄很大' (tā de niánlíng hěn dà), meaning 'his age is quite large,' but for a more formal context, you'd say '他已经有了不少的齡' (tā yǐjīng yǒule bù shǎo de líng).

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