DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

拉

Mandarin · pinyin lā#

Mandarin · pinyin lá#

to make a cut in (sth); to slit; to gash; to slash

Mandarin · pinyin là#

used in 拉拉蛄 là là gǔ
variant of 落 là

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

拉: lā · pull, drag; seize, hold; lengthen

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

1 · la1

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

1character link7same-tone records

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

拉 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

laa1 · laai1 · laai6 · laap6 · laat6

Cantonese word readings for 拉. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

to pull; to drag; to tug
to transport by vehicle; to haul; to carry on a vehicle
to play (a bowed instrument, an accordion, etc.); to sound (a siren, etc.)
to drag out; to draw out
to lead (a group to a place); to move (a group to a place)
to help; to lend (a hand)
to drag in; to implicate
to draw in; to canvass; to solicit; to attract
to organize (a group); to form (a group)
to invite; to recruit
(informal) to pass (stool)
(Mainland China) to owe; to be in arrears
(Mainland China, colloquial) to chat
(dialectal) to bring up; to raise
(Cantonese) to arrest
(Cantonese) to shift numbers
(Hong Kong, Internet slang) to cause a thread to sink to the bottom of list of threads; to "pull"
(Hong Kong Cantonese) short for 拉把 (“library”)
(dated Shanghainese) Used to mark the perfective aspect.
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to destroy; to break; to snap
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to insult
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to strike; to hit; to beat
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese, onomatopoeia) The sound of wind.
a surname

character · Etymology 2

(Mainland China) to cut; to slit; to slash

character · Etymology 3

(Mainland China, colloquial) section; part

character · Etymology 5

(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 落 (là)
used in 拉拉蛄, alternative form of 蝲蝲蛄 (làlàgǔ)

character · Etymology 6

A verbal suffix.

character · Etymology 7

(Zhangzhou Hokkien) to release; to untie; to loosen; to get untied; to come loose

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack