溯 meaning and stroke order
To paddle upstream, to go against the current; to trace the source; formerly
How to write 溯, 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.
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Meaning of 溯
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to go upstream
- to trace the source
- variant of 溯[su4]
How 溯 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To seek the source 朔 of a river 氵.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 溯
Water 氵 on the left, 朔 (shuò) on the right. Picture yourself following a river 氵 back toward its beginning 朔 to seek the source.
溯 is a formal, written word. It appears mostly in set words like 追溯 (zhuīsù) and 回溯 (huísù), and in phrases about history, origins, or going upstream. Example: 这个传统可以追溯到唐朝。(Zhège chuántǒng kěyǐ zhuīsù dào Táng cháo.) This tradition can be traced back to the Tang dynasty.
Common mistake: Learners often read 溯 as shuò because of the 朔 component, but 溯 is pronounced sù with a falling fourth tone. Also do not confuse it with 塑 (sù, to mold), which shares the sound and the 朔 part but has 土 at the bottom.
Common words with 溯
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 追溯 | zhuīsù | lit. to go upstream; to trace sth back to | HSK 7-9 |
| 回溯 | huísù | to recall; to look back upon |
溯 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 溯
How many strokes are in 溯?
溯 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 溯 mean?
溯 (sù) means to paddle upstream, to go against the current; to trace the source; formerly. A common word with it is 追溯 (zhuīsù), meaning "lit. to go upstream; to trace sth back to".
How do you pronounce 溯?
溯 is pronounced sù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 溯?
The radical of 溯 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 溯 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 溯?
The traditional form of 溯 is 遡. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 溯 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 溯 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 溯 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 溯 be used on its own as a verb?
Rarely in everyday speech. It shows up alone in literary phrases like 溯流而上 (sù liú ér shàng, to go upstream against the current), but most of the time you will see it inside 追溯 or 回溯.
What is the difference between 追溯 and 回溯?
追溯 (zhuīsù) means tracing something back to its origin, often history or causes. 回溯 (huísù) means looking back or recalling past events, and it is also used in technical contexts like backtracking in computing.