蘇 meaning and stroke order
To awaken, to revive, to resurrect; used in transliterations
How to write 蘇, stroke by stroke
20 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 蘇
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- Perilla frutescens (Chinese basil or wild red basil)
- place name
- to revive
- used as phonetic in transliteration
How 蘇 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A perennial 穌 grass 艹; 穌 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 蘇
蘇 (sū) puts the grass radical 艹 on top of 穌, which also gives the sound. Picture a hardy grass that keeps coming back to life each year, which helps you remember both the plant meaning and the sense of reviving.
蘇 is the traditional form, so you will see it in Taiwan and Hong Kong, while mainland China writes 苏. It appears in loanwords such as 蘇打 (sūdá, soda), in place names, and in words about reviving. Example: 我想喝一杯蘇打水。(Wǒ xiǎng hē yì bēi sūdáshuǐ.) I want a glass of soda water.
Common mistake: Learners often write the lower part as 魚 alone and forget the 禾 on the right side of 穌. Another common slip is mixing up 蘇 with the simplified 苏 in the same text, so pick one script and stay consistent.
Common words with 蘇
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Characters that contain 蘇
Learning 蘇 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 蘇
How many strokes are in 蘇?
蘇 is written with 20 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蘇 mean?
蘇 (sū) means to awaken, to revive, to resurrect; used in transliterations. A common word with it is 苏丹 (Sūdān), meaning "(loanword) sultan".
How do you pronounce 蘇?
蘇 is pronounced sū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 蘇?
The radical of 蘇 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 蘇 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 蘇?
蘇 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 苏, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 蘇 a common Chinese surname?
Yes. 蘇 (Sū) is a well known family name. The famous Song dynasty poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì) carries it.
How do you say 'to revive' or 'wake up' using 蘇?
The common word is 蘇醒 (sūxǐng), meaning to regain consciousness or come back to life. It is used for people waking from a faint and, figuratively, for nature reviving in spring.