艘 meaning and stroke order
Classifier for ships; Taiwan pr. [sao1]
How to write 艘, stroke by stroke
15 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 艘
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- classifier for ships
- Taiwan pr. [sao1]
How 艘 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Ship.
舟 gives the meaning and 叟 hints at the sound.
Radical: 舟 (boat), shared by 35 characters on this site.
How to remember 艘
The left side 舟 (zhōu) means boat, so 艘 is about ships. The right side 叟 (sǒu, old man) gives the sound, so picture an old sailor counting his boats.
艘 is the classifier for ships, boats, and also spacecraft. It sits between a number and the noun. Example: 港口停着三艘船。(Gǎngkǒu tíngzhe sān sōu chuán.) Three ships are docked at the port.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 艘 with 搜 (sōu, to search) and 嫂 (sǎo, sister-in-law), which share the right part 叟. Only 艘 has the boat radical 舟 on the left. Also, many people use 条 (tiáo) for small boats and forget that 艘 is the standard word for larger vessels.
艘 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 艘
How many strokes are in 艘?
艘 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 艘 mean?
艘 (sōu) means classifier for ships; Taiwan pr. [sao1].
How do you pronounce 艘?
艘 is pronounced sōu, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 艘?
The radical of 艘 is 舟, which carries the idea of "boat". Dictionaries list 艘 under this radical.
Is 艘 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 艘 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 艘 for spaceships?
Yes. 艘 works for spacecraft too, as in 一艘宇宙飞船 (yī sōu yǔzhòu fēichuán), one spaceship. Airplanes use 架 (jià) instead.
Why do some people say sāo instead of sōu?
In Taiwan the standard pronunciation is sāo. In mainland China it is sōu. Both keep the first tone.