恕 meaning and stroke order
To excuse, to forgive, to show mercy
How to write 恕, stroke by stroke
10 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 恕
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to forgive
How 恕 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 如 hints at the sound.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 恕
恕 puts 如 (rú, "like, as") on top of 心 (xīn, heart). Picture treating someone else's heart as if it were your own, and you can forgive them. Note that 如 is really the sound part and 心 gives the meaning.
恕 is fairly formal and rarely stands alone. It mostly appears in words like 宽恕 (kuānshù) and 饶恕 (ráoshù), and in polite set phrases. Example: 恕我直言 (shù wǒ zhíyán) Pardon me for speaking frankly.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 恕 as rú because of the 如 on top, but it is pronounced shù with a falling fourth tone. It is also easy to confuse with 怒 (nù, anger). 怒 has 奴 on top, not 如.
Common words with 恕
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
恕 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 恕
How many strokes are in 恕?
恕 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 恕 mean?
恕 (shù) means to excuse, to forgive, to show mercy. A common word with it is 宽恕 (kuānshù), meaning "to forgive; forgiveness".
How do you pronounce 恕?
恕 is pronounced shù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 恕?
The radical of 恕 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 恕 under this radical.
Is 恕 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 恕 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 宽恕 and 饶恕?
宽恕 (kuānshù) suggests a generous, big-hearted forgiveness. 饶恕 (ráoshù) leans toward sparing someone from punishment, so it often appears with serious wrongs, as in 不可饶恕 (bùkě ráoshù) unforgivable.
Can I use 恕 to say sorry in everyday speech?
Not usually. In daily speech people say 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) or 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi). 恕 shows up in polite or written phrases like 恕不奉陪 (shù bù fèngpéi), "excuse me for not keeping you company".