shǒu
noun HSK 1 #252

Measure Word

zhī

Meanings

  1. 1 hand

Characters

Examples

Qǐng jǔshǒu.
Please raise your hand.
Tā de shǒu hěn dà.
His hands are big.
Xǐshǒu le ma?
Did you wash your hands?

Tips

history
is a pictograph showing five fingers on a hand. It is also a common radical in characters related to actions: (hit), (take), (find).
usage
appears in many compound words: 手机 (phone), 手表 (watch), 歌手 (singer), 选手 (competitor).

Components

pictograph
shǒu
hand
Single self-pictograph — a stylised drawing of a hand held up with fingers spread. The hooked top stroke is the wrist arching over, the middle horizontals are the splayed fingers, and the long descender is the forearm. Self-radical (Kangxi #64). Anchors a vast family: , , , , plus the side-form in , , , — all hand-actions.

Stroke Order

shǒu