绸 meaning and stroke order
Silk cloth, satin damask
How to write 绸, stroke by stroke
11 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
Meaning of 绸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (light) silk
How 绸 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Silk.
纟 gives the meaning and 周 hints at the sound.
Radical: 纟 (silk), shared by 143 characters on this site.
How to remember 绸
The silk radical 纟 on the left tells you this is about thread and cloth, and 周 (zhōu) on the right gives the sound. Picture silk thread wrapped all around (周) to weave a smooth piece of silk cloth.
绸 (chóu) usually appears in compounds rather than alone, most often in 丝绸 (sīchóu), silk fabric. Example: 这条围巾是丝绸的。(Zhè tiáo wéijīn shì sīchóu de.) This scarf is made of silk.
Common mistake: Learners often read 绸 as zhōu because of the phonetic part 周, but it is chóu with a second tone. Also do not confuse it with 稠 (chóu, thick or dense), which has the grain radical 禾 instead of 纟.
Common words with 绸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 丝绸 | sīchóu | silk (cloth) | HSK 7-9 |
绸 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 绸
How many strokes are in 绸?
绸 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 绸 mean?
绸 (chóu) means silk cloth, satin damask. A common word with it is 丝绸 (sīchóu), meaning "silk (cloth)".
How do you pronounce 绸?
绸 is pronounced chóu, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 绸?
The radical of 绸 is 纟, which carries the idea of "silk". Dictionaries list 绸 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 绸?
The traditional form of 绸 is 綢. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 绸 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 绸 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 绸 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 丝 and 绸?
丝 (sī) means silk thread or fiber, and also anything thin like a thread. 绸 (chóu) refers to woven silk cloth. Together, 丝绸 is the normal word for silk fabric.
Where does the Silk Road name come from in Chinese?
The Silk Road is called 丝绸之路 (Sīchóu zhī Lù), literally the road of silk cloth. It uses the common word 丝绸, which contains 绸.