壽 meaning and stroke order
Old age, longevity; lifespan
How to write 壽, stroke by stroke
14 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
Meaning of 壽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- long life
- old age
- age
- life
- birthday
- funerary
How 壽 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Ancient form of 老.
Radical: 士 (scholar), shared by 11 characters on this site.
How to remember 壽
Picture a scholar 士 at the top, then layers of work 工 stacked over the years, and finally an inch 吋 at the bottom: a long life is built inch by inch. The etymology hint says 壽 is related to an ancient form of 老 (lǎo, old), so think of it as a tall stack of years.
壽 is the traditional form of 寿, used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and older texts. It appears in words about lifespan and birthdays, such as 長壽 (chángshòu, longevity) and 壽命 (shòumìng, lifespan). Example: 祝您健康長壽。(Zhù nín jiànkāng chángshòu.) I wish you good health and a long life.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 壽 with 濤 (tāo, wave) or 鑄 (zhù, to cast), which contain 壽 as a component but have different sounds and meanings. Also remember the tone is fourth tone shòu, not shǒu like 手 (hand) or 首 (head).
Common words with 壽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Characters that contain 壽
Learning 壽 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 壽
How many strokes are in 壽?
壽 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 壽 mean?
壽 (shòu) means old age, longevity; lifespan. A common word with it is 寿司 (shòusī), meaning "sushi".
How do you pronounce 壽?
壽 is pronounced shòu, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 壽?
The radical of 壽 is 士, which carries the idea of "scholar". Dictionaries list 壽 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 壽?
壽 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 寿, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does 壽 appear in the word for sushi?
In 壽司 (shòusī), the characters were chosen mainly for their sound to transcribe the Japanese word, with 壽 adding a lucky meaning of long life. The meaning of the characters does not describe the food itself.
Is 壽 used for birthdays?
Yes, especially for older people's birthdays. 做壽 (zuòshòu) means to celebrate an elder's birthday, and 壽星 (shòuxīng) is the person whose birthday it is, or the god of longevity.