曙 meaning and stroke order
Dawn, daybreak; the dawn of an era
How to write 曙, stroke by stroke
17 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 曙
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) daybreak; dawn
- Taiwan pr. [shu4]
How 曙 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sun.
日 gives the meaning and 署 hints at the sound.
Radical: 日 (sun), shared by 116 characters on this site.
How to remember 曙
The sun 日 on the left gives the meaning, and 署 (shǔ) on the right gives the sound. Picture the sun rising beside an office building 署 as the workday begins at dawn.
曙 is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words rather than alone. The most common word is 曙光 (shǔguāng), used both for literal first light and for a sign of hope. Example: 我们看到了胜利的曙光。(Wǒmen kàndào le shènglì de shǔguāng.) We see the first glimmer of victory.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 曙 (shǔ, dawn) with 暑 (shǔ, summer heat), which has the same sound and also contains 日. In 曙 the sun sits on the left next to the full 署, while in 暑 the sun sits on top of 者.
Common words with 曙
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 曙光 | shǔguāng | the first light of dawn; (fig.) glimmer of hope after a dark period; a new beginning | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 曙
How many strokes are in 曙?
曙 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 曙 mean?
曙 (shǔ) means dawn, daybreak; the dawn of an era. A common word with it is 曙光 (shǔguāng), meaning "the first light of dawn; (fig.) glimmer of hope after a dark period; a new beginning".
How do you pronounce 曙?
曙 is pronounced shǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 曙?
The radical of 曙 is 日, which carries the idea of "sun". Dictionaries list 曙 under this radical.
Is 曙 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 曙 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 曙 by itself to say dawn in conversation?
Not usually. In everyday speech people say 黎明 (límíng), 天亮 (tiānliàng) or 清晨 (qīngchén). 曙 mainly appears in 曙光 and in literary or formal writing.
Why do some speakers pronounce 曙 as shù?
The dictionary notes that the standard pronunciation in Taiwan is shù, with a fourth tone. In mainland Mandarin it is shǔ, with a third tone.