宿 meaning and stroke order
To stop, to rest, to lodge; constellation
How to write 宿, 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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Meaning of 宿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- lodge for the night
- old
- former
- old variant of 宿[su4]
- night
- classifier for nights
- constellation
How 宿 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person 亻 sleeping in a bed 百 under a roof 宀.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 宿
Under a roof 宀, a person 亻 lies down on a bed, drawn here as 百. A person resting under a roof for the night is 宿 (sù), to lodge.
宿 (sù) mostly appears in words about staying somewhere, like 宿舍 (sùshè) dormitory and 住宿 (zhùsù) lodging. It is rarely used alone in modern speech. Example: 我住在学校宿舍。(Wǒ zhù zài xuéxiào sùshè.) I live in the school dorm.
Common mistake: Learners often say xiǔ or xiù in words like 宿舍 and 住宿, but these are always sù. Also, the right part is 百 (bǎi), not 白 (bái), so do not forget the top horizontal stroke.
Common words with 宿
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 宿舍 | sùshè | dormitory; dorm room | HSK 5 |
| 住宿 | zhùsù | to stay at; lodging | HSK 7-9 |
| 归宿 | guīsù | place to return to; home | HSK 7-9 |
| 食宿 | shísù | board and lodging; room and board | HSK 7-9 |
| 风餐露宿 | fēngcān-lùsù | lit. to eat in the open air and sleep outdoors (idiom); fig. to rough it | HSK 7-9 |
| 寄宿 | jìsù | to stay; to lodge; to board | |
| 宿命 | sùmìng | predestination; karma | |
| 宿醉 | sùzuì | hangover | |
| 宿主 | sùzhǔ | (biology) host | |
| 留宿 | liúsù | to put up a guest; to stay overnight | |
| 一宿 | yīxiǔ | one whole night; all night | |
| 露宿 | lùsù | to sleep outdoors; to spend the night in the open |
宿 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 宿
Learning 宿 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 宿
How many strokes are in 宿?
宿 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 宿 mean?
宿 (sù) means to stop, to rest, to lodge; constellation. A common word with it is 宿舍 (sùshè), meaning "dormitory; dorm room".
How do you pronounce 宿?
宿 has more than one reading: sù and xiù. The most common is sù, said in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 宿?
The radical of 宿 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 宿 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 宿?
The traditional form of 宿 is 㝛. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 宿 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 宿 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 宿 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
When is 宿 read xiǔ?
Xiǔ is used as a counter for nights, as in 住一宿 (zhù yì xiǔ) to stay one night. It is common in spoken northern Chinese.
What does 宿 mean when read xiù?
Xiù means a constellation or lunar mansion in traditional Chinese astronomy, as in 星宿 (xīngxiù). This reading is mostly found in classical or astronomical contexts.