岁 meaning and stroke order
Classifier for years (of age); year; year (of crop harvests)
How to write 岁, 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.
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Meaning of 岁
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- classifier for years (of age)
- year
- year (of crop harvests)
- variant of 歲|岁[sui4], year
- years old
How 岁 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 山 (mountain), shared by 111 characters on this site.
How to remember 岁
岁 is a mountain 山 (shān) sitting on top of 夕 (xī), evening. Picture watching the sun set behind the same mountain evening after evening until the years pile up and you grow older.
岁 (suì) is the everyday word for counting someone's age, and it works directly after a number without 个. It also appears in words about time passing, like 岁月 (suìyuè). Example: 我今年二十岁。 (Wǒ jīnnián èrshí suì.) I am twenty years old this year.
Common mistake: Learners often use 年 (nián) for age and say 我二十年 when they mean 我二十岁. 年 counts a span of years, while 岁 counts how old someone is. Also watch the bottom part: it is 夕, not 夂 or 歹.
Common words with 岁
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 岁月 | suìyuè | years; time | HSK 5 |
| 岁数 | suìshu | age (number of years old) | HSK 6 |
| 万岁 | wànsuì | Long live (the king, the revolution etc)!; Your Majesty | |
| 几岁 | jǐsuì | how old are you? (familiar, or to a child) | |
| 长命百岁 | chángmìngbǎisuì | (idiom) to live to be a hundred years old (often used as a blessing or wish for longevity) |
岁 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 岁
Learning 岁 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 岁
How many strokes are in 岁?
岁 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 岁 mean?
岁 (suì) means classifier for years (of age); year; year (of crop harvests). A common word with it is 岁月 (suìyuè), meaning "years; time".
How do you pronounce 岁?
岁 is pronounced suì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 岁?
The radical of 岁 is 山, which carries the idea of "mountain". Dictionaries list 岁 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 岁?
The traditional form of 岁 is 嵗 and 歲. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 岁 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 岁 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 岁 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
How do I ask someone's age with 岁?
For a child, ask 你几岁? (Nǐ jǐ suì?). For an adult your own age, 你多大? (Nǐ duō dà?) is more natural, and for an older person use 您多大岁数? (Nín duō dà suìshu?) to be polite.
Can I leave out 岁 when saying my age?
Yes, in casual speech you can say 我二十 (Wǒ èrshí) and people will understand. If the number is ten or under, keep 岁 so it sounds complete, as in 他五岁 (Tā wǔ suì).