lǎo

old

Pictograph of an old person with long hair bent over and leaning on a cane.

Evolution

老 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
老 Bronze script Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze script

Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
老 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
老 Clerical script Jin dynasty (266-420 AD)

Clerical script

Jin dynasty (266-420 AD)
老 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

lǎo

old, aged; experienced; prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity; old (of people); venerable (person); of long standing; always; all the time; of the past; very; outdated; (of meat etc) tough

Most common words with 老
Freq.
Word
Meaning

always

老师

teacher

老板

boss

老婆

(coll.) wife

老兄

'old chap' (form of address between male friends)

Component uses

Meaning component in 5 characters (1 verified)

Sound component in 5 characters (0 verified)

Iconic component in 1 character (1 verified)

Remnant component in 1 character (1 verified)