老
lǎo
old; aged
Every meaning
lǎo
- old; aged
- (after a surname) honorific for a respected elder
- long-standing; old (as in 老朋友)
- (prefix) used before family names or ranks (as in 老王)
- very; extremely
- old; to have aged
- outdated; tough (food)
- always; all the time
- (of meat, eggs, vegetables) overcooked; tough
In a sentence
我的爷爷已经很老了。
My grandfather is already very old.
你别老看手机。
Stop looking at your phone all the time.
Written by Claude and checked by our reader.
In the Library
咪咪老了，我们送它……”
妈妈的电话 · Mum’s secret phone call · HSK 2
我还以为它老了，今天早上它没来，我也没多想。
爷爷的秘密 · Grandpa’s secret · HSK 3
他住在一个老小区的六楼，楼下有一家小饭馆。
多出来的鸡蛋 · One egg too many · HSK 3
Words with 老
Meanings are from Mandarin The Wild’s own dictionary. Levels follow the official HSK word list (the exam’s 2025 syllabus, levels 7–9 shown together).