速

sù
noun #3,885

Meanings

  1. 1 fast; rapid; quick
  2. 2 speed; velocity

Examples

HSK 4
Gāosù gōnglù hěn fāngbiàn.
Highways are very convenient.
HSK 5
Tā kāichē tài kuài, chāosù le.
He was driving too fast and speeding.
HSK 5
Qǐng jǐnkuài huífù, sù huí.
Please reply as soon as possible.

Tips

usage
速 is used in: 速度 (speed), 快速 (rapid), 高速 (high-speed), 超速 (speeding), 加速 (accelerate), 迅速 (swift). 速 adds a formal/written tone compared to 快.

Components

radical
辶 chuò
walk; movement (radical form)
Walking radical (the side-form of 辵), wrapping around the lower-left. Marks 速 as a motion character: speed is the rate of movement. Same radical anchors 进 (advance), 远 (far), 近 (close), 追 (chase), 逃 (flee).
phonetic
束 shù
bundle; tie up
Inner 束 supplies the sound: shù shifts to sù with a tone change. Beyond sound, 束 (a bundle tied tight) hints at the meaning - fast motion is tight, taut, controlled. The whole graph reads 'tight bundle in motion = swift.' Same series: 辣 (spicy/sharp), 嗽 (cough).

Stroke Order

速 sù