类

類

lèi

大 + 米

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

lèi (noun) kind; type; category

lèi (adjective,verb) similar; to resemble

Etymology

Simplified form of 類. Phonosemantic compound. 犬 represents the meaning and 頪 represents the sound.

About

The simplified character 类 is the simplified form of traditional 類, a phonosemantic compound where 犬 (dog) provides the meaning and 頪 (a head with grains) the sound. In the traditional character, this suggested distinguishing dogs by breed or physical traits. The simplified version replaces the complex structure with 米 (rice) and 大 (big), functioning as a visual shorthand without etymological accuracy. The character's meaning encompasses categories, classes, species, and the grouping of items or living beings by shared characteristics.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

水果有很多种类。

Shuǐguǒ yǒu hěn duō zhǒnglèi.

Fruits have many kinds.

人类需要保护环境。

Rénlèi xūyào bǎohù huánjìng.

Humanity needs to protect the environment.

这两本书很类似。

Zhè liǎng běn shū hěn lèisì.

These two books are very similar.

请把垃圾进行分类。

Qǐng bǎ lājī jìnxíng fēnlèi.

Please classify the garbage.

这种类型的电影很受欢迎。

Zhè zhǒng lèixíng de diànyǐng hěn shòu huānyíng.

This type of movie is very popular.

鸟类是动物的一种类别。

Niǎolèi shì dòngwù de yī zhǒng lèibié.

Birds are a category of animals.

在生物学中，分类学非常重要。

Zài shēngwùxué zhōng, fēnlèi xué fēicháng zhòngyào.

In biology, taxonomy is very important.

根据产品的特性，我们可以将其分为三大类。

Gēnjù chǎnpǐn de tèxìng, wǒmen kěyǐ jiāng qí fēn wéi sān dà lèi.

According to the characteristics of the products, we can classify them into three major categories.

Related Characters

Component: 大

Component: 米

类