州 meaning and stroke order
State, province, prefecture
How to write 州, 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 州
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- prefecture
- (old) province
- (old) administrative division
- state (e.g. of US)
- oblast (Russia)
- canton (Switzerland)
How 州 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Islands within a river 川.
Radical: 川 (stream), shared by 3 characters on this site.
How to remember 州
Start with 川 (chuān, river) and picture three dots as little islands of land sitting between the streams. Land surrounded by water became a unit of territory, so 州 (zhōu) means a region, state, or prefecture.
Today 州 (zhōu) is used for states of countries like the US, Australia, and Germany, and it survives in many Chinese place names such as 广州 (Guǎngzhōu) and 杭州 (Hángzhōu). Example: 加州的天气很好。(Jiāzhōu de tiānqì hěn hǎo.) The weather in California is very nice.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 州 (zhōu) with 洲 (zhōu), which has the water radical 氵 and means continent, as in 亚洲 (Yàzhōu, Asia). Use 州 for states and cities, and 洲 for continents.
Common words with 州
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 州长 | zhōuzhǎng | governor (of a province or colony); (US) state governor | |
| 州立 | zhōulì | state-run |
州 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 州
Learning 州 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 州
How many strokes are in 州?
州 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 州 mean?
州 (zhōu) means state, province, prefecture. A common word with it is 州长 (zhōuzhǎng), meaning "governor (of a province or colony); (US) state governor".
How do you pronounce 州?
州 is pronounced zhōu, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 州?
The radical of 州 is 川, which carries the idea of "stream". Dictionaries list 州 under this radical.
Is 州 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 州 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 州 and 省 in Chinese?
省 (shěng) is the word for the provinces of modern China, like 广东省 (Guǎngdōng Shěng). 州 (zhōu) was an older administrative division in China and is now mainly used for states in other countries, such as 德州 (Dézhōu, Texas).
Why do so many Chinese city names end in 州?
Many cities were once the seat of a historical 州 prefecture, and the name stayed after the system changed. That is why you see 苏州 (Sūzhōu), 福州 (Fúzhōu), and 郑州 (Zhèngzhōu).