Pronunciation

Characters pronounced liu.

12 name characters share this pronunciation across tones. Pinyin alone does not identify a character; choose the Hanzi you want.

All 12 characters are listed below. Each links to its own page with meaning, structure, and names that use it.

六 liù number six 刘 liú surname; kill, destroy 榴 liú pomegranate 流 liú natural to flow 浏 liú bright clear; bright; whistling 琉 liú sparkling stone; glazed, opaque 留 liú stop, halt; stay, detain, keep 瘤 liú tumor, lump, goiter 硫 liú sulfur (element 16, S) 馏 liú calm distill, distillation 溜 liū slide, glide, slip; slippery 柳 liǔ natural willow tree; pleasure; 24th lunar mansion, determinative star δ Hydrae

Why several characters share one pinyin

Mandarin has many homophones. Tone narrows the sound, but different characters can still share the same syllable and tone. The Hanzi is the identity; the pinyin is only the sound.

Browse all name characters or use Search to look up a character by meaning.