力 lì — power; force; strength
学习需要努力。Xué xí xū yào nǔ lì.Learning requires effort.
Common words: 努力 (nǔ lì)、能力 (néng lì)、力量 (lì liang)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "strength"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "strength", including 力 (lì), 强 (qiáng), 劲 (jìn / jìng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "strength" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 力 (lì), 强 (qiáng), 劲 (jìn / jìng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span lì, qiáng, jìn, jìng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 力 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 力 lìpower; force; strengthUseful words: 努力, 能力
- 强 qiángstrength; force; power; powerful; betterUseful words: 强大, 强烈
- 劲 jìn / jìngstrength; stalwart; sturdyUseful words: 使劲, 使劲儿
Common words for these 3 "strength" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 力 (lì) — so "strength" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
努力nǔ lìto make an effort; to try hard; to strive; hard-working能力néng lìcapability; ability力量lì liangpower; force; strength强大qiáng dàbig and strong; formidable; powerful强烈qiáng lièstrong; intense坚强jiān qiángstaunch; strong使劲shǐ jìnto exert all one's strength使劲儿shǐ jìn rcolloquial (-r) form of 使劲干劲gàn jìnenthusiasm for doing sth
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "strength".
强 qiáng — strength; force; power; powerful; better
他的身体很强壮。Tā de shēn tǐ hěn qiáng zhuàng.His body is very strong.
Common words: 强大 (qiáng dà)、强烈 (qiáng liè)、坚强 (jiān qiáng)
劲 jìn / jìng — strength; stalwart; sturdy
加油，再加把劲就成功了！Jiā yóu, zài jiā bǎ jìn jiù chéng gōng le!Come on, just a little more effort and we will succeed!
Common words: 使劲 (shǐ jìn)、使劲儿 (shǐ jìn r)、干劲 (gàn jìn)
All 3 characters
Open 力、强、劲 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.