税 meaning and stroke order
Taxes; duties
How to write 税, 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.
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Meaning of 税
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- taxes
- duties
How 税 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Grain 禾 paid as tribute 兑; 兑 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 禾 (cereal), shared by 66 characters on this site.
How to remember 税
On the left is grain 禾 (hé), and on the right is 兑 (duì), to exchange or hand over. Picture farmers handing over part of their grain to the state: that payment is a tax, 税 (shuì).
税 almost always appears in compound words rather than alone, such as 税收 (shuìshōu) taxation, 关税 (guānshuì) tariff, and 纳税 (nàshuì) to pay taxes. Example: 每个公民都应该纳税。(Měi gè gōngmín dōu yīnggāi nàshuì.) Every citizen should pay taxes.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 税 (shuì) with 说 (shuō, to speak) and 脱 (tuō, to take off), since all three share 兑. Check the left side: grain 禾 means tax, speech 讠 means speak, and flesh 月 means take off.
Common words with 税
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 税收 | shuìshōu | taxation | HSK 7-9 |
| 纳税人 | nàshuìrén | taxpayer | HSK 7-9 |
| 税务 | shuìwù | taxation services; state revenue service | HSK 7-9 |
| 纳税 | nàshuì | to pay taxes | HSK 7-9 |
| 关税 | guānshuì | customs duty; tariff | HSK 7-9 |
| 税金 | shuìjīn | tax money (paid or due) | |
| 缴税 | jiǎoshuì | to pay tax | |
| 逃税 | táoshuì | to evade a tax | |
| 所得税 | suǒdéshuì | income tax | |
| 税款 | shuìkuǎn | tax payments | |
| 免税 | miǎnshuì | not liable to taxation (of monastery, imperial family etc); tax free |
税 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 税
How many strokes are in 税?
税 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 税 mean?
税 (shuì) means taxes; duties. A common word with it is 税收 (shuìshōu), meaning "taxation".
How do you pronounce 税?
税 is pronounced shuì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 税?
The radical of 税 is 禾, which carries the idea of "cereal". Dictionaries list 税 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 税?
The traditional form of 税 is 稅. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 税 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 税 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 税 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say to pay taxes in Chinese?
The most common verbs are 纳税 (nàshuì) and 缴税 (jiǎoshuì). 纳税 sounds more formal and appears in official language like 纳税人 (nàshuìrén) taxpayer, while 缴税 is common for the act of paying a tax bill.
What is the difference between 税 and 费 (fèi)?
税 is a tax or duty collected by the government, like 关税 (guānshuì) customs duty. 费 is a fee paid for a service or use, like 学费 (xuéfèi) tuition or 电费 (diànfèi) electricity bill.