Chinese Tattoo 力: Meaning, Strokes & Design Guide
The character 力 means "power, capability, influence; Kangxi radical 19" and is pronounced lì. Below: its structure, the words it appears in, and how it works as a tattoo.
Quick facts
| Character | 力 |
| Pinyin | lì |
| Meaning | power, capability, influence; Kangxi radical 19 |
| Strokes | 2 |
| Radical | ⼒ (No. 19) |
| HSK level | newest-5 |
Words that contain 力
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 努力 | nǔ lì | to make an effort; to try hard; to strive | newest-3 |
| 能力 | néng lì | capability | newest-4 |
| 力量 | lì liang | power | newest-5 |
| 压力 | yā lì | pressure | newest-4 |
| 权力 | quán lì | power | newest-6 |
| 实力 | shí lì | strength | newest-5 |
Words and levels: HSK vocabulary list · meanings: CC-CEDICT.
Characters sharing the ⼒ radical
All of these share the ⼒ radical, so they are visually related — useful when you compare designs.
Placing 力
力 is only 2 strokes, so it stays readable even small — but a simple character shows every wobble. There is nowhere to hide a shaky line here, so line weight and steady spacing matter more than with a dense character. Bring the stencil together with the pinyin and the meaning, and ask the artist to follow the stencil rather than redrawing the character freehand — freehand redrawing is the most common way a correct character loses a stroke and becomes a different one.
Design notes for 力
力 appears both on its own and inside compounds, so the sense depends on context; here it reads “power, capability, influence; Kangxi radical 19”. Regular script (楷书) keeps every stroke countable, which matters when a Chinese reader checks it. Avoid mirroring or rotating the character, and avoid very fine or cursive styles at small sizes, where strokes merge into a shape that reads as a different character.
Frequently asked questions
What does 力 mean?
力 (lì) means “power, capability, influence; Kangxi radical 19”.
How is 力 pronounced?
力 is pronounced lì in Mandarin.
How many strokes does 力 have?
力 has 2 strokes, under the ⼒ radical (No. 19).
How large should a 力 tattoo be?
With 2 strokes, 力 is open and holds detail well even at small sizes.
Which style works for 力?
Bold regular script (楷书) keeps the strokes clear. Semi-cursive (行书) adds flow but softens edges. Seal script looks classical but is harder for most readers to verify — use it only if a native reader has confirmed the rendering.
Is 力 common in modern Chinese?
Yes — 力 appears as a standalone HSK vocabulary item (newest-5), and in everyday words such as 努力、能力、力量.
Should I use simplified or traditional 力?
力 is written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese, so there is no form to choose.
Want 力 as a ready-to-use stencil with a native-checked meaning card, sized for your tattoo artist?
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Character data: Unihan (Unicode) · words: HSK vocabulary & CC-CEDICT · How we verify this