孺 meaning and stroke order
Child; blood relation; affection
How to write 孺, stroke by stroke
17 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 孺
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- child
How 孺 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Child.
子 gives the meaning and 需 hints at the sound.
Radical: 子 (son), shared by 30 characters on this site.
How to remember 孺
孺 combines 子 (zǐ, child) on the left with 需 (xū, need) on the right. Picture a small child who needs care, and you have the meaning "child."
孺 is a literary character and rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears in set words like 妇孺 (fùrú, women and children) and the idiom 孺子可教 (rúzǐ kě jiào, the young one can be taught). Example: 这件事妇孺皆知。(Zhè jiàn shì fùrú jiē zhī.) Even women and children know about this.
Common mistake: Learners often misread 孺 as xū because of the 需 component, but it is pronounced rú. It is also easy to confuse with 儒 (rú, scholar, Confucian), which has 亻 (person) instead of 子 on the left.
Common words with 孺
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 妇孺 | fùrú | women and children |
Questions about 孺
How many strokes are in 孺?
孺 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 孺 mean?
孺 (rú) means child; blood relation; affection. A common word with it is 妇孺 (fùrú), meaning "women and children".
How do you pronounce 孺?
孺 is pronounced rú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 孺?
The radical of 孺 is 子, which carries the idea of "son". Dictionaries list 孺 under this radical.
What does 孺子可教 mean?
It literally means "this child can be taught." People use it to praise a young person who learns well or shows promise. It can sound a bit old-fashioned or playful in modern speech.
Can I use 孺 to say "child" in everyday conversation?
No. In daily speech, use 孩子 (háizi) or 小孩 (xiǎohái). 孺 mostly appears in fixed literary expressions like 妇孺 and 孺子.