蔬 meaning and stroke order
Vegetables, greens
How to write 蔬, 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 蔬
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- vegetables
How 蔬 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plant.
艹 gives the meaning and 疏 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 蔬
The grass radical 艹 on top tells you this is a plant, and 疏 (shū) underneath gives the sound. Picture leafy greens growing above, and you hear shū, like the vegetables you should eat more of.
蔬 almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. You will see it mainly in 蔬菜 (shūcài, vegetables) and in phrases like 新鲜蔬菜 (fresh vegetables). Example: 我每天都吃蔬菜。(Wǒ měitiān dōu chī shūcài.) I eat vegetables every day.
Common mistake: Learners often write 疏 (shū, sparse) when they mean 蔬, forgetting the 艹 on top. If the meaning is food or plants, you need the grass radical.
Common words with 蔬
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蔬菜 | shūcài | vegetables | HSK 5 |
蔬 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 蔬
How many strokes are in 蔬?
蔬 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 蔬 mean?
蔬 (shū) means vegetables, greens. A common word with it is 蔬菜 (shūcài), meaning "vegetables".
How do you pronounce 蔬?
蔬 is pronounced shū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 蔬?
The radical of 蔬 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 蔬 under this radical.
Is 蔬 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 蔬 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 蔬菜 and 菜?
菜 (cài) can mean vegetables, but it also means a dish or any food served with rice. 蔬菜 (shūcài) specifically means vegetables as a food category, so it is clearer in writing, on labels, and in talk about nutrition.
How do you say fruits and vegetables in Chinese?
The common phrase is 蔬菜水果 (shūcài shuǐguǒ) or the shorter 果蔬 (guǒshū). 果蔬 is often seen on signs, packaging, and in supermarket sections.