TraceHanzi

漱 meaning and stroke order

shù

To gargle, to rinse; to wash, to scour

14 strokesRadical 氵Traditional 潄
Strokes14
Pinyinshù
ToneTone 4
Frequency#4,142
Printable worksheet

How to write 漱, stroke by stroke

14 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 漱

Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.

shùfourth tone (falling)
  1. to rinse one's mouth with water
  2. to gargle
  3. variant of 漱[shu4]

How 漱 is built

Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To gargle 欶 water 氵; 欶 also provides the pronunciation.

shuǐwater+shuòto suck

Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.

How to remember 漱

On the left is 氵, the water radical. On the right is 欶, which the etymology data links to gargling and which also gives the sound. Put them together: water you swish and gargle in your mouth, 漱 (shù).

漱 almost always appears in fixed words rather than on its own. The most common are 漱口 (shùkǒu, to rinse the mouth) and 洗漱 (xǐshù, to wash up in the morning or evening). Example: 刷完牙要漱口。(Shuā wán yá yào shùkǒu.) After brushing your teeth, rinse your mouth.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 漱 with 嗽 (sòu), as in 咳嗽 (késou, to cough). Both share the right side 欶. 漱 has the water radical 氵 because it is about rinsing with water. 嗽 has the mouth radical 口 and is about coughing.

Common words with 漱

Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.

WordPinyinMeaningLevel
洗漱xǐshùto wash the face and rinse the mouth
漱口shùkǒuto rinse one's mouth; to gargle

漱 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

这zhè个ge漱shù口kǒu水shuǐ的de薄bò荷hé味wèi太tài重zhòng了le。
The peppermint flavor in this mouthwash is too strong.
我wǒ的de洗xǐ漱shù包bāo落luò在zài饭fàn店diàn房fáng间jiān里lǐ了le。
I've left my toilet bag in the hotel room.
有yǒu一yī天tiān, 夏xià目mù漱shù石shí在zài伦lún敦dūn迷mí路lù了le。
One day, Natsume Soseki was lost in London.
这zhè个ge牌pái子zi的de漱shù口kǒu水shuǐ的de味wèi道dào好hǎo怪guài。
This brand of mouthwash tastes funny.

Questions about 漱

How many strokes are in 漱?

漱 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.

What does 漱 mean?

漱 (shù) means to gargle, to rinse; to wash, to scour. A common word with it is 洗漱 (xǐshù), meaning "to wash the face and rinse the mouth".

How do you pronounce 漱?

漱 is pronounced shù, in the fourth tone (falling).

What is the radical of 漱?

The radical of 漱 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 漱 under this radical.

What is the traditional form of 漱?

The traditional form of 漱 is 潄. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 漱 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.

What does 洗漱 mean in daily life?

洗漱 (xǐshù) means washing your face and brushing or rinsing your teeth, like the English phrase 'to wash up'. You hear it in routines such as 起床后先洗漱 (qǐchuáng hòu xiān xǐshù), meaning get up and wash up first. Hotels also use it, for example 洗漱用品 (xǐshù yòngpǐn), toiletries.

Can 漱口 mean gargling with mouthwash?

Yes. 漱口 covers both rinsing with water and using mouthwash. Mouthwash itself is 漱口水 (shùkǒushuǐ).