獸 meaning and stroke order
Beast, animal; bestial
How to write 獸, stroke by stroke
19 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 獸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- beast
- animal
- beastly
- bestial
How 獸 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Animal.
犬 gives the meaning and 嘼 hints at the sound.
Radical: 犬 (dog), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 獸
The right side 犬 (quǎn, dog) tells you this is about animals, and the left side 嘼 gives the sound shòu. Picture a dog standing beside a big, many-mouthed creature to remember 獸 means beast.
獸 is the traditional form; in mainland China you will see 兽. It rarely stands alone and usually appears in words like 野兽 (yěshòu, wild animal), 兽医 (shòuyī, vet), and 怪兽 (guàishòu, monster). Example: 森林里有很多野兽。(Sēnlín lǐ yǒu hěn duō yěshòu.) There are many wild animals in the forest.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 兽 (shòu) with 受 (shòu, to receive) or 瘦 (shòu, thin) because they sound the same, so check the meaning in context. Also note that 禽兽 (qínshòu) is a harsh insult for a person, meaning someone who acts like an animal, not just a neutral word for wildlife.
Common words with 獸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 獸
How many strokes are in 獸?
獸 is written with 19 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 獸 mean?
獸 (shòu) means beast, animal; bestial. A common word with it is 野兽 (yěshòu), meaning "beast; wild animal".
How do you pronounce 獸?
獸 is pronounced shòu, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 獸?
The radical of 獸 is 犬, which carries the idea of "dog". Dictionaries list 獸 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 獸?
獸 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 兽, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 兽 and 动物?
动物 (dòngwù) is the everyday neutral word for any animal, including pets. 兽 suggests a wild, large, or fierce beast and mostly appears inside compound words.
How do you call someone a beast in Chinese?
People say 禽兽 (qínshòu) or 禽兽不如 (qínshòu bùrú, worse than a beast) for someone cruel or immoral. The word 兽性 (shòuxìng) describes brutal, animal-like behavior.