酸 meaning and stroke order
Sour; tart; sick at heart
How to write 酸, stroke by stroke
14 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 酸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- sour
- tart
- sick at heart
- grieved
- sore
- aching
How 酸 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Wine 酉 aged too long 夋; 夋 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 酉 (wine), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 酸
On the left is 酉, a wine jar. On the right is 夋, which the etymology hint reads as aged too long, so picture wine left in the jar so long it turns sour. 夋 also gives the sound suān.
酸 (suān) describes sour tastes like vinegar or lemon, but it also describes aching muscles and a sad, heavy feeling in the heart. In chemistry it means acid, as in 硫酸 (liúsuān) sulfuric acid. Example: 我跑完步腿很酸。(Wǒ pǎo wán bù tuǐ hěn suān.) My legs are sore after running.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 久 or 冬 instead of 夋, which has 厶 and 八 on top of 夂. Also keep the tone first tone, suān, not suàn like 算 (suàn, to calculate).
Common words with 酸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
酸 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 酸
How many strokes are in 酸?
酸 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 酸 mean?
酸 (suān) means sour; tart; sick at heart. A common word with it is 酸奶 (suānnǎi), meaning "yogurt".
How do you pronounce 酸?
酸 is pronounced suān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 酸?
The radical of 酸 is 酉, which carries the idea of "wine". Dictionaries list 酸 under this radical.
Is 酸 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 酸 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 酸 describe body aches?
Yes. 酸 is used for a dull, tired ache in muscles, as in 腰酸 (yāo suān) sore lower back or 酸痛 (suāntòng) to ache. It is milder and more tiring than sharp pain, which is 疼 (téng).
What does it mean when someone says 你好酸 to another person?
In casual speech 酸 can mean jealous or bitter about someone else's luck, a bit like sour grapes. Saying 你好酸 (nǐ hǎo suān) teases someone for sounding envious.