孙 meaning and stroke order
Grandchild, descendent; surname
How to write 孙, stroke by stroke
6 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
Meaning of 孙
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- grandson
- descendant
How 孙 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Simplified form of 孫; a chain 系 of descent 子.
Radical: 子 (son), shared by 30 characters on this site.
How to remember 孙
孙 is a child 子 (zǐ) next to 小 (xiǎo, small). Picture the smaller child of your child: your grandchild.
孙 mostly appears in family words like 孙子 (sūnzi, grandson) and 孙女 (sūnnǚ, granddaughter), and it is also a very common surname. Example: 奶奶很喜欢她的孙女。(Nǎinai hěn xǐhuan tā de sūnnǚ.) Grandma really loves her granddaughter.
Common mistake: Learners often write 孙子 when they mean a daughter's child. Chinese separates the two sides: 孙子 is a son's son, while 外孙 (wàisūn) is a daughter's son. Also keep the second syllable of 孙子 in the neutral tone (sūnzi), because 子 is not stressed here.
Common words with 孙
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
孙 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 孙
Learning 孙 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 孙
How many strokes are in 孙?
孙 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 孙 mean?
孙 (sūn) means grandchild, descendent; surname. A common word with it is 孙子 (sūnzi), meaning "grandson; son's son".
How do you pronounce 孙?
孙 is pronounced sūn, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 孙?
The radical of 孙 is 子, which carries the idea of "son". Dictionaries list 孙 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 孙?
The traditional form of 孙 is 孫. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 孙 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 孙 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 孙 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.
Is 孙子 ever used as an insult?
Yes. In casual or rude speech, calling someone 孙子 puts them down by making yourself their grandfather. Be careful with tone and context when you say it.
Who is the famous person with the surname 孙?
Two well known examples are 孙子 (Sūnzǐ), the author of The Art of War, and 孙中山 (Sūn Zhōngshān), known in English as Sun Yat-sen. When 孙子 refers to the strategist, 子 keeps its full third tone (zǐ) as an honorific meaning master.