舍 meaning and stroke order
House, dwelling; to reside, to dwell; to abandon, to give up
How to write 舍, stroke by stroke
8 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 舍
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to give up; to abandon
- to give alms
- old variant of 捨|舍[she3]
- (bound form) residence; house
- (bound form) my (in speaking of relatives younger than oneself, as in 舍妹[she4 mei4])
- (archaic) unit of distance equal to 30 li 里[li3]
How 舍 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. The shape of a roof.
人 gives the meaning and 舌 hints at the sound.
Radical: 舌 (tongue), shared by 8 characters on this site.
How to remember 舍
The top part 人 looks like a roof, and under it sits 舌 (shé, tongue), which also gives the sound. Picture a little house with a roof where people talk, and remember that leaving such a home is hard to give up.
Read shè, it means a house or residence, as in 宿舍 (sùshè, dormitory) or the polite 寒舍 (hánshè, my humble home). Read shě, it means to give up, and it is very common in 舍不得 and 舍得. Example: 我舍不得离开这里。(Wǒ shěbude líkāi zhèlǐ.) I can't bear to leave this place.
Common mistake: Learners often say 宿舍 with a third tone, but here it is fourth tone shè, while 舍不得 and 舍弃 use third tone shě. Also do not confuse 舍 with 舌 (shé, tongue) or 含 (hán, to hold in the mouth), which look similar.
Common words with 舍
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 宿舍 | sùshè | dormitory; dorm room | HSK 5 |
| 舍不得 | shěbude | to hate to do sth; to hate to part with | HSK 5 |
| 舍得 | shěde | to be willing to part with sth | HSK 5 |
| 恋恋不舍 | liànliàn-bùshě | reluctant to part | HSK 7-9 |
| 依依不舍 | yīyī-bùshě | reluctant to part (idiom); broken-hearted at having to leave | HSK 7-9 |
| 舍弃 | shěqì | to give up; to abandon | |
| 施舍 | shīshě | to give in charity; to give alms (to the poor) | |
| 寒舍 | hánshè | my humble home | |
| 农舍 | nóngshè | farmhouse | |
| 鸡舍 | jīshè | chicken coop | |
| 穷追不舍 | qióngzhuībùshě | to pursue relentlessly |
舍 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 舍
Learning 舍 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 舍
How many strokes are in 舍?
舍 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 舍 mean?
舍 (shě) means house, dwelling; to reside, to dwell; to abandon, to give up. A common word with it is 宿舍 (sùshè), meaning "dormitory; dorm room".
How do you pronounce 舍?
舍 is pronounced shě, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 舍?
The radical of 舍 is 舌, which carries the idea of "tongue". Dictionaries list 舍 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 舍?
The traditional form of 舍 is 捨. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 舍 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 舍 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 舍 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 舍得 and 舍不得?
舍得 (shěde) means being willing to part with something, often used in questions like 你舍得吗? 舍不得 (shěbude) means you hate to part with it or can't bear to do it. In everyday speech 舍不得 is the more common of the two.
Why do people say 舍妹 or 舍弟?
舍 (shè) is a humble word for 'my' when talking about your own younger relatives, so 舍妹 (shèmèi) means 'my younger sister'. It sounds formal or literary and is not used for older relatives.