数 meaning and stroke order
To count; to count as; to regard as; to enumerate; to list
How to write 数, stroke by stroke
13 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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Meaning of 数
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to count
- to count as; to regard as
- to enumerate; to list
- number; figure
- several; a few
- (literary) frequently; repeatedly
How 数 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Script.
攵 gives the meaning and 娄 hints at the sound.
Radical: 攵 (to rap), shared by 36 characters on this site.
How to remember 数
数 is pictophonetic: 娄 (lóu) on the left hints at the sound, and 攵, a hand holding a stick, gives the meaning of action. Picture a hand tapping a stick on each item in a pile as you count it.
Read shǔ, it is a verb meaning to count or to count as. Read shù, it is a noun meaning number, as in 数字 (shùzì) and 人数 (rénshù). Example: 请数一数有多少人。(Qǐng shǔ yi shǔ yǒu duōshao rén.) Please count how many people there are.
Common mistake: Learners often say shù when the verb is meant, so 数钱 (shǔ qián, to count money) comes out wrong. A simple rule: if you are doing the counting, use third tone shǔ.
Common words with 数
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 数字 | shùzì | numeral; digit | HSK 2 |
| 大多数 | dàduōshù | (great) majority | HSK 2 |
| 人数 | rénshù | number of people | HSK 2 |
| 多数 | duōshù | majority; most | HSK 2 |
| 少数 | shǎoshù | small number; few | HSK 2 |
| 分数 | fēnshù | (exam) grade; mark | HSK 2 |
| 数量 | shùliàng | amount; quantity; quantitative | HSK 3 |
| 数据 | shùjù | data | HSK 4 |
| 无数 | wúshù | countless; numberless | HSK 4 |
| 数码 | shùmǎ | number; numerals | HSK 4 |
| 数目 | shùmù | amount; number | HSK 5 |
| 总数 | zǒngshù | total; sum | HSK 5 |
| 指数 | zhǐshù | (numerical, statistical) index; (math.) exponent | HSK 6 |
| 次数 | cìshù | number of times; frequency | HSK 6 |
数 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 数
How many strokes are in 数?
数 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 数 mean?
数 (shǔ) means to count; to count as; to regard as; to enumerate; to list. A common word with it is 数字 (shùzì), meaning "numeral; digit".
How do you pronounce 数?
数 has more than one reading: shǔ and shù. The most common is shǔ, said in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 数?
The radical of 数 is 攵, which carries the idea of "to rap". Dictionaries list 数 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 数?
The traditional form of 数 is 數. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 数 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 数 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 数 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What does 数 mean in phrases like 数一数二?
Here 数 is the verb shǔ, to count or rank. 数一数二 (shǔ yī shǔ èr) means counted as first or second, so one of the very best.
Can 数 mean several?
Yes. Read shù before a measure word, it means a few or several, as in 数天 (shù tiān, several days). This is more formal and written than 几 (jǐ).