老 Radical 125 — old, aged; long-standing; venerable
lǎo (third tone, dipping)
old, aged; long-standing; venerable
Radical 1256 strokes1 characters
Also written 耂 — the same radical in a different position inside the character.
Where the shape comes from
An old person with long unbound hair, bent over a stick: the top strokes are the hair and the stooping back, and the 匕 at the foot is the staff taking the weight. Age meant standing, so 老 became a mark of respect — 老师, 老板 — and a marker of long acquaintance, 老朋友. Reduced to 耂 it caps 考 and 者.