售 meaning and stroke order
To sell
How to write 售, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 售
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) to sell; to retail
- (literary) to carry out (a plan or intrigue etc)
How 售 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A street vendor talks 口 incessantly, like a bird 隹.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 售
售 has a bird 隹 sitting on top of a mouth 口. Picture a street vendor who chatters all day like a bird, calling out to sell goods.
售 is a bound form, so it appears inside words like 出售 (chūshòu), 销售 (xiāoshòu), 零售 (língshòu) and 售票 (shòupiào) rather than standing alone. It sounds formal and is common on signs, in shops and in business writing. Example: 这本书已经售完了。(Zhè běn shū yǐjīng shòu wán le.) This book is sold out.
Common mistake: Learners often say 售 alone in casual speech, as in 我售我的车, when everyday Chinese uses 卖 (mài) instead: 我卖我的车. Also watch the top part: it is 隹, not 佳 (jiā) or 住 (zhù), which look similar.
Common words with 售
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 销售 | xiāoshòu | to sell; to market | HSK 4 |
| 出售 | chūshòu | to sell; to offer for sale | HSK 4 |
| 售货员 | shòuhuòyuán | sales clerk; sales associate; retail salesperson | HSK 4 |
| 兜售 | dōushòu | to hawk; to peddle | HSK 7-9 |
| 零售 | língshòu | to retail; to sell in small quantities | HSK 7-9 |
| 售价 | shòujià | selling price | HSK 7-9 |
| 售票 | shòupiào | to sell tickets | HSK 7-9 |
| 预售 | yùshòu | to sell in advance | HSK 7-9 |
| 发售 | fāshòu | to sell | |
| 抛售 | pāoshòu | to dump (selling abroad more cheaply than cost price at home) | |
| 销售额 | xiāoshòu'é | sales figure; total income from sales | |
| 售卖 | shòumài | to sell |
售 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 售
How many strokes are in 售?
售 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 售 mean?
售 (shòu) means to sell. A common word with it is 销售 (xiāoshòu), meaning "to sell; to market".
How do you pronounce 售?
售 is pronounced shòu, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 售?
The radical of 售 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 售 under this radical.
Is 售 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 售 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 售 and 卖?
Both mean to sell. 卖 (mài) is the everyday spoken word and works on its own, while 售 is more formal and mostly appears in compound words like 销售 or 售价.
What does 售票处 mean?
售票处 (shòupiàochù) means ticket office or box office. You will see it at train stations, cinemas and tourist sites, built from 售票 (to sell tickets) plus 处 (place).