疏 meaning and stroke order
To neglect; to dredge, to clear away; lax, careless
How to write 疏, stroke by stroke
12 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
- 10
- 11
- 12
Meaning of 疏
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to dredge
- to clear away obstruction
- thin
- sparse
- scanty
- distant (relation)
How 疏 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Walking 疋 through uncultivated land 㐬.
Radical: 疋 (roll), shared by 5 characters on this site.
How to remember 疏
On the left is 疋, a foot walking, and on the right is 㐬, uncultivated land. Picture a foot pushing through wild ground to clear a path, which links to clearing away blockages, and to things left thin, sparse, or neglected.
疏 appears mostly in two-character words. It can mean clearing something blocked, as in 疏通 (shūtōng), or being sparse, distant, or careless, as in 疏远 (shūyuǎn) and 疏忽 (shūhu). Example: 我一时疏忽，忘了锁门。(Wǒ yīshí shūhu, wàng le suǒ mén.) I was careless for a moment and forgot to lock the door.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 疏 with 蔬 (shū, vegetable), as in 蔬菜 (shūcài). They sound the same, but 蔬 has the grass radical 艹 on top because it refers to plants. Also note that the left side of 疏 is a squeezed form of 疋, so do not write it as 足.
Common words with 疏
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
疏 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 疏
Learning 疏 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 疏
How many strokes are in 疏?
疏 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 疏 mean?
疏 (shū) means to neglect; to dredge, to clear away; lax, careless. A common word with it is 疏散 (shūsàn), meaning "idle; leisurely; laid-back; Taiwan pr. [shu1san4]".
How do you pronounce 疏?
疏 is pronounced shū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 疏?
The radical of 疏 is 疋, which carries the idea of "roll". Dictionaries list 疏 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 疏?
The traditional form of 疏 is 疎. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 疏 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 疏 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 疏 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 疏散 mean in an emergency?
In everyday modern use, 疏散 (shūsàn) most often means to evacuate or disperse people, as in 疏散人群 (shūsàn rénqún), to evacuate the crowd. The dictionary sense of idle or leisurely is less common in speech.
How is 生疏 different from 陌生?
生疏 (shēngshū) often describes a skill that has become rusty or a relationship that has grown distant, as in 我的中文有点生疏了 (Wǒ de Zhōngwén yǒudiǎn shēngshū le), my Chinese is a bit rusty. 陌生 (mòshēng) usually describes people or places you have never known at all.