數 meaning and stroke order
Count, number, several
How to write 數, stroke by stroke
15 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 數
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 數 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Script.
攵 gives the meaning and 婁 hints at the sound.
Radical: 攵 (to rap), shared by 36 characters on this site.
How to remember 數
數 is a sound-meaning character: 婁 (lóu) on the left hints at the sound, and 攵, a hand holding a stick, gives the meaning. Picture someone tapping items one by one with a stick as they count them.
As shù it means number or figure and appears in many common words like 数字 (shùzì) and 数据 (shùjù). As shǔ it is the verb to count, as in 我数一下人数。(Wǒ shǔ yíxià rénshù.) Let me count the number of people. In mainland China it is written in the simplified form 数.
Common mistake: Learners often say shù for the verb to count. The verb is third tone shǔ, as in 数钱 (shǔ qián, to count money), while the noun number is fourth tone shù. Also do not confuse it with 楼 (lóu, building), which shares the same right-side component family in simplified form.
Common words with 數
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 數字 | shùzì | numeral; digit | HSK 2 |
| 大多數 | dàduōshù | (great) majority | HSK 2 |
| 人數 | rénshù | number of people | HSK 2 |
| 多數 | duōshù | majority; most | HSK 2 |
| 少數 | shǎoshù | small number; few | HSK 2 |
| 分數 | fēnshù | (exam) grade; mark | HSK 2 |
| 數量 | shùliàng | amount; quantity; quantitative | HSK 3 |
| 數據 | shùjù | data | HSK 4 |
| 無數 | wúshù | countless; numberless | HSK 4 |
| 數碼 | shùmǎ | number; numerals | HSK 4 |
| 數目 | shùmù | amount; number | HSK 5 |
| 總數 | zǒngshù | total; sum | HSK 5 |
| 指數 | zhǐshù | (numerical, statistical) index; (math.) exponent | HSK 6 |
| 次數 | cìshù | number of times; frequency | HSK 6 |
Questions about 數
How many strokes are in 數?
數 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 數 mean?
數 (shù) means count, number, several. A common word with it is 数字 (shùzì), meaning "numeral; digit".
How do you pronounce 數?
數 is pronounced shù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 數?
The radical of 數 is 攵, which carries the idea of "to rap". Dictionaries list 數 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 數?
數 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 数, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How does 數 mean several?
Placed before a measure word or number, 數 (shù) means a few or several, as in 数次 (shù cì, several times) or 数十人 (shù shí rén, several dozen people). This use sounds somewhat formal or written.
What does 數 mean in phrases like 数他最高?
Here 數 (shǔ) means to count as or to be regarded as the top one. 数他最高 (shǔ tā zuì gāo) means he is the tallest of all.