宙 meaning and stroke order
Space, time, space-time
How to write 宙, stroke by stroke
8 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
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- 4
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- 8
Meaning of 宙
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- eternity
- (geology) eon
How 宙 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Roof - the sky.
宀 gives the meaning and 由 hints at the sound.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 宙
宙 is pictophonetic: the roof 宀 on top stands for the sky covering everything, and 由 (yóu) below gives the sound. Picture the whole sky as one giant roof stretching over all of time.
宙 almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. You will meet it mainly in 宇宙 (yǔzhòu, universe), and in longer words built on it like 宇宙飞船 (yǔzhòufēichuán, spaceship). Example: 宇宙非常大。(Yǔzhòu fēicháng dà.) The universe is very big.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 宙 with 宇 (yǔ) because they share the roof 宀 and always appear together. In 宇宙, 宇 comes first, and only 宙 has 由 under the roof. Some learners also give 宙 the second tone of 由 (yóu), but 宙 is fourth tone, zhòu.
Common words with 宙
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
宙 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 宙
How many strokes are in 宙?
宙 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 宙 mean?
宙 (zhòu) means space, time, space-time. A common word with it is 宇宙 (yǔzhòu), meaning "universe; cosmos; space".
How do you pronounce 宙?
宙 is pronounced zhòu, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 宙?
The radical of 宙 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 宙 under this radical.
Is 宙 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 宙 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 宇 and 宙?
Traditionally, 宇 refers to space in all directions, while 宙 refers to time, past and future without end. Together, 宇宙 means the universe, all of space and time.
Is 宙 used in science words?
Yes. In geology, 宙 means an eon, the largest unit of geologic time. For example, 显生宙 (xiǎnshēngzhòu) is the Phanerozoic Eon.