理发 (lǐfà) · to get a haircut

理发 (lǐfà) means “to get a haircut; to cut hair”. It is written with 2 characters: 理 (science) + 发 (to send). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).

How 理发 is built

The characters

理 lǐ · science

What 理 is made of

王wáng — king
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 土tǔ — earth
  - 十 — ten
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
里lǐ — unit of distance equal to 0.5km
- 田tián — field
- 土tǔ — earth
  - 十 — ten
  - 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: 王 gives the meaning, 里 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

发 fā · to send

What 发 is made of

又yòu — (once) again

Example sentences

我明天要去理发。Wǒ míngtiān yào qù lǐfà.I'm going to get a haircut tomorrow.

你在哪儿理发？Nǐ zài nǎr lǐfà?Where do you get your hair cut?

Questions about 理发

What does 理发 mean?

理发 (lǐfà) means “to get a haircut; to cut hair”.

How do you pronounce 理发?

理发 is pronounced lǐfà.

Which HSK level is 理发?

理发 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 3 (2021) and Old HSK 4.

Related words

Learn 理发 with its group

It is part of HSK 3 (2021) · Group 47: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

Open the group