variant of 里

JLPT N2 7 strokes

Words with this Kanji

Meaning and Usage

The character (lǐ) primarily means "inside" or "within" when referring to a physical space. It is commonly used to indicate the interior of a place, such as a house or container. Additionally, is a traditional Chinese unit of distance, historically about 400 meters, still used in some contexts to describe distances.

Common Collocations

  • (jiā lǐ): inside the home
  • 抽屉 (chōuti lǐ): inside the drawer
  • (shí lǐ lù): ten li of road (distance)

Usage Notes

When used to indicate location, follows the noun it modifies and specifies the interior. For example, means "inside the house." When used as a distance unit, it often appears after a number and before (road) or other distance-related words. Avoid confusing with (lǐmiàn), which also means "inside" but is more formal or specific. is more colloquial and often used in everyday speech.

Example Sentences

There are many books inside his house.

Our village is ten li away from the city center.

Please put the key inside the drawer.