啥 meaning and stroke order
What?
How to write 啥, 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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- 11
Meaning of 啥
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- dialectal equivalent of 什麼|什么[shen2 me5]
- also pr. [sha4]
How 啥 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 舍 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 啥
啥 combines 口 (mouth), the meaning part, with 舍 (shè), which gives the sound. Picture a mouth asking a quick, casual question, and the sound sh- comes from 舍.
啥 is a colloquial, dialect-flavored way to say 什么 (shénme), especially common in northern speech and online chat. It goes in the same places as 什么: 你说啥？(Nǐ shuō shá?) What did you say? You will also hear 为啥 (wèishá) for "why" and 啥子 (sházi) in Sichuan-style speech.
Common mistake: Learners often read 啥 as shè because of the phonetic 舍, but it is usually said shá (second tone). The listed shà is a less common alternative pronunciation. Also avoid 啥 in formal writing, where 什么 is expected.
Common words with 啥
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 为啥 | wèishá | dialectal equivalent of 為什麼|为什么[wei4 shen2 me5] | |
| 啥子 | sházi | (dialect) what |
啥 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 啥
How many strokes are in 啥?
啥 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 啥 mean?
啥 (shà) means what?. A common word with it is 为啥 (wèishá), meaning "dialectal equivalent of 為什麼|为什么[wei4 shen2 me5]".
How do you pronounce 啥?
啥 is pronounced shà, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 啥?
The radical of 啥 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 啥 under this radical.
Is it rude to use 啥 instead of 什么?
It is not rude, just casual. It is fine with friends and in everyday chat. In formal situations, with strangers in a polite setting, or in essays, 什么 sounds more appropriate.
What does 没啥 mean?
没啥 (méi shá) is a casual way to say 没什么, meaning "nothing" or "it's nothing." For example, 没啥事 (méi shá shì) means "nothing much is going on."