首 (shǒu) · head; chief; leader

Meanings

1 head; chief; leader
2 first; foremost
3 measure word for poems and songs

Characters

首

shǒu

head; first; chief; measure word for poems/songs

Examples

HSK 1

这首歌很好听。

Zhè shǒu gē hěn hǎotīng.

This song sounds great.

HSK 6

首先，自我介绍一下。

Shǒuxiān, zìwǒ jièshào yíxià.

First of all, let me introduce myself.

HSK 6

北京是中国的首都。

Běijīng shì Zhōngguó de shǒudū.

Beijing is the capital of China.

Tips

usage

首 is used in: 首先 (first of all), 首都 (capital city), 首次 (for the first time). As a measure word: 一首歌 (a song), 一首诗 (a poem). 首 implies 'number one' or 'head of.'

Components

pictograph

首 shǒu

head; chief

A pictograph of a head: the oracle bone form clearly shows hair on top of an eye 目 - a stylised human head viewed in profile. The two top strokes are the hair tuft, the box-with-bar below is the eye. Modern shape preserves both elements but they no longer function as independent components. As Kangxi radical #185 it indexes itself plus a tiny family; most head-words moved to 页.

Radical

Head Kangxi #185

An indexing radical for 'head' and 'first'. The graph shows hair on top of an eye 目 - a stylized human head - but in modern usage it more often acts as a content morpheme (首先 first, 首都 capital, 元首 head of state) than as a productive component. Most head-vocabulary moved to 页 instead.