垃

Tap the pinyin to hear it

used in 垃圾[la1 ji1]; Taiwan pr. [le4]

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

土 meaning “earth” + 立 sound ( lì )

Components 土立

garbage · Heisig RSH #1700

土 soil + vase

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
生活垃圾	shēng huó lā jī	domestic garbage
垃圾食品	lā jī shí pǐn	junk food
垃圾分类	lā jī fēn lèi	waste sorting; waste separation
垃圾电邮	lā jī diàn yóu	see 垃圾郵件\|垃圾邮件[la1 ji1 you2 jian4]
垃圾邮件	lā jī yóu jiàn	junk mail; spam; unsolicited mail
垃圾车	lā jī chē	garbage truck (or other vehicle)
垃圾工	lā jī gōng	garbage collector
洋垃圾	yáng lā jī	trash or used goods from Western countries; the dregs of society of Western countries; Tai…
垃圾股	lā jī gǔ	junk bonds; high-yield bonds
土坷垃	tǔ kē lā	(dialect) clod of earth
垃圾箱	lā jī xiāng	rubbish can; garbage can; trash can
垃圾堆	lā jī duī	garbage heap
垃圾筒	lā jī tǒng	trashcan
垃圾桶	lā jī tǒng	rubbish bin; trash can; garbage can; Taiwan pr. [le4 se4 tong3]
垃圾	lā jī	trash; refuse; garbage; (coll.) of poor quality; Taiwan pr. [le4 se4]
坷垃	kē lā	(dialect) clod (of earth)

Characters sharing the sound component 立 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
立 sound part	lì	to stand; to establish, to set up
拉	lā	to pull, to drag; to seize, to hold; to lengthen; to play (a violin)
粒	lì	grain, granule; bullet, pellet
泣	qì	to cry, to sob, to weep
飒	sà	bleak; melancholy; the howl of the wind
昱	yù	bright, dazzling; sunlight
笠	lì	bamboo hat; bamboo covering
翊	yì	flying; to assist, to help; to respect