How to write 手 (shǒu, “hand”)
手 (shǒu), an HSK 1 character, means “hand” and “to hold”. Make Me a Hanzi uses it in 22 other characters, such as 拿 (“to hold”) and 看 (“to see”). On its own it is an HSK 2 word; it also forms 手机 (“cell phone”), 手表 (“wristwatch”) and 洗手间 (“toilet”). Japanese reads it te-, “hand”, as a JLPT N4 kanji.
- Pinyin
- shǒu
- Strokes
- 4
- HSK
- 1
- Radical
- 手 (“hand”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Left-falling stroke ㇒top rightleftwards
- Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
- Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
- Curved hook ㇁topdownwards → leftwards
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 4 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
手 inside other characters
Make Me a Hanzi count: 22 characters.
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| shǒu third tone | hand; (formal) to hold; person engaged in certain types of work; person skilled in certain types of work; personal(ly) | — | 手机 手表 洗手间 歌手 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 1
- 2021 standard
- level 1
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 2 word
- Words with it
- 558 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 手
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 手 | shǒu | hand; to hold HSK 2 |
| 手机 手機 | shǒujī | cell phone; mobile phone HSK 1 |
| 手表 手錶 | shǒubiǎo | wristwatch HSK 2 |
| 洗手间 洗手間 | xǐshǒujiān | toilet; lavatory HSK 2 |
| 歌手 | gēshǒu | singer HSK 4 |
| 二手 | èrshǒu | indirectly acquired; second-hand (information, equipment etc) HSK 5 |
| 分手 | fēnshǒu | to part company; to split up HSK 5 |
| 对手 對手 | duìshǒu | opponent; rival HSK 5 |
| 手工 | shǒugōng | handwork; manual HSK 5 |
| 动手 動手 | dòngshǒu | to set about (a task); to raise a hand to hit sb HSK 5 |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several characters: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Contain it:
HSK 1, in list order: