须

須
xū
verb HSK 7-9 #6,111

Meanings

  1. 1 must; have to; should
  2. 2 beard; whiskers; feeler

Examples

HSK 4
Bìxū ànshí wánchéng.
Must be completed on time.
HSK 5
Tā liú le yìbǎ húxū.
He grew a beard.
HSK 7-9
Rùchǎng xūzhī: qǐngwù pāizhào.
Entry notice: No photography please.

Tips

usage
须 is mainly used in 必须 (must). Also in: 须知 (notice/guidelines), 胡须 (beard). 必须 is stronger than 需要 - it implies obligation, not just need.

Components

radical
页 yè
head (radical of head-words)
Right 页 - the indexing radical, originally meaning head (now also page in books). Combined with the hair-strands on the left, 页 declares 须 a head-feature: the beard hanging from the face. Same head family: 顶 (top), 颈 (neck), 颜 (face), 顺 (smooth).
semantic
彡 shān
fine hairs; tuft
Left 彡 - three diagonal strokes picturing fine hairs or strands. Originally 须 pictured a face with strands hanging from the chin: a beard. From the literal beard came the verbal senses to need and must, via an old pun on the homophone 需. Same hair-tuft family: 形 (shape), 影 (shadow), 修 (groom).

Stroke Order

须 xū