洲 meaning and stroke order
Continent; island
How to write 洲, stroke by stroke
9 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 洲
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- continent
- island in a river
How 洲 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A state 州 surrounded by water 氵; 州 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 洲
Picture a region 州 (zhōu) with water 氵 all around it. Land surrounded by water is an island or a whole continent, so 洲 means continent or island.
洲 is mostly used in the names of continents and in geography words like 三角洲 (sānjiǎozhōu, delta) and 绿洲 (lǜzhōu, oasis). Example: 亚洲是世界上最大的洲。(Yàzhōu shì shìjiè shang zuì dà de zhōu.) Asia is the largest continent in the world.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 洲 and 州, which sound exactly the same. Use 洲 with water for continents like 欧洲 (Ōuzhōu, Europe), and use 州 without water for states or prefectures like 加州 (Jiāzhōu, California) or city names like 广州 (Guǎngzhōu).
Common words with 洲
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 三角洲 | sānjiǎozhōu | delta (geography) | |
| 绿洲 | lǜzhōu | oasis | |
| 洲际 | zhōujì | intercontinental |
洲 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 洲
How many strokes are in 洲?
洲 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 洲 mean?
洲 (zhōu) means continent; island. A common word with it is 三角洲 (sānjiǎozhōu), meaning "delta (geography)".
How do you pronounce 洲?
洲 is pronounced zhōu, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 洲?
The radical of 洲 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 洲 under this radical.
Is 洲 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 洲 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say the names of the continents in Chinese?
Most continent names end in 洲: 亚洲 (Yàzhōu) Asia, 欧洲 (Ōuzhōu) Europe, 非洲 (Fēizhōu) Africa, 美洲 (Měizhōu) the Americas, 大洋洲 (Dàyángzhōu) Oceania. Antarctica is 南极洲 (Nánjízhōu).
Is 洲 the same as 岛 (dǎo) for island?
No. 岛 is the everyday word for an island, for example in the sea. 洲 in the island sense refers to a sandbar or small island in a river, and today it appears mainly in fixed words and place names.