梢 meaning and stroke order
The tip of a branch; rudder
How to write 梢, stroke by stroke
11 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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- 11
Meaning of 梢
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- tip of branch
How 梢 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning and 肖 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 梢
梢 combines 木 (tree) with 肖 (xiào), which gives the sound. Picture the small, thin end of a tree, the very tip of a branch.
梢 rarely stands alone and usually appears in words like 树梢 (shùshāo, treetop) or 眉梢 style compounds meaning the tip or end of something. It also appears in 盯梢 (dīngshāo), to tail someone. Example: 小鸟站在树梢上。(Xiǎoniǎo zhàn zài shùshāo shang.) A little bird is standing on the treetop.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 梢 (shāo) with 稍 (shāo, slightly), which has 禾 instead of 木 and the same pronunciation. Remember that 稍微 (shāowēi) uses 稍, while the tree tip uses 梢 with the tree radical.
Common words with 梢
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 树梢 | shùshāo | the tip of a tree; treetop | HSK 7-9 |
| 盯梢 | dīngshāo | to follow sb; to tail |
Questions about 梢
How many strokes are in 梢?
梢 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 梢 mean?
梢 (shāo) means the tip of a branch; rudder. A common word with it is 树梢 (shùshāo), meaning "the tip of a tree; treetop".
How do you pronounce 梢?
梢 is pronounced shāo, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 梢?
The radical of 梢 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 梢 under this radical.
Is 梢 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 梢 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 盯梢 mean to tail someone if 梢 means the tip of a branch?
In 盯梢, 梢 is understood as the tail end of something, so 盯梢 means keeping your eyes on someone's tail. It is a colloquial word used for shadowing or following a person secretly.
Are there other characters that use 肖 for a similar sound?
Yes, several characters with 肖 are read shāo or xiāo, such as 稍 (shāo), 捎 (shāo, to bring along), and 消 (xiāo, to disappear). Spotting 肖 can help you guess the sound, while the other part tells you the meaning.