髓 meaning and stroke order
Substance, essence; bone marrow
How to write 髓, stroke by stroke
21 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 髓
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) bone marrow; (fig.) innermost part
- (botany) pith
How 髓 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Bone.
骨 gives the meaning and 遀 hints at the sound.
Radical: 骨 (bone), shared by 21 characters on this site.
How to remember 髓
On the left is 骨 (gǔ, bone), which tells you the meaning. On the right is the sound part 遀, which looks like 随 (suí, to follow) and hints at the sound suǐ. Picture the soft marrow that follows along inside every bone.
髓 is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words like 骨髓 (gǔsuǐ, bone marrow), 脊髓 (jǐsuǐ, spinal cord) and 精髓 (jīngsuǐ, essence). The figurative meaning, the innermost and most important part, is common in writing. Example: 这本书抓住了中国文化的精髓。(Zhè běn shū zhuāzhù le Zhōngguó wénhuà de jīngsuǐ.) This book captures the essence of Chinese culture.
Common mistake: Learners often read 髓 as suí, the second tone of 随 (suí), because the right side looks similar. The correct tone is third tone, suǐ. Also take care with the right side: it is 遀, not 随, so there is no 阝 on it.
Common words with 髓
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 精髓 | jīngsuǐ | marrow; pith; quintessence; essence | HSK 7-9 |
| 骨髓 | gǔsuǐ | bone marrow | |
| 脊髓 | jǐsuǐ | spinal cord; medulla spinalis |
髓 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 髓
How many strokes are in 髓?
髓 is written with 21 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 髓 mean?
髓 (suǐ) means substance, essence; bone marrow. A common word with it is 精髓 (jīngsuǐ), meaning "marrow; pith; quintessence; essence".
How do you pronounce 髓?
髓 is pronounced suǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 髓?
The radical of 髓 is 骨, which carries the idea of "bone". Dictionaries list 髓 under this radical.
Is 髓 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 髓 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 髓 be used on its own as a word?
Not usually. In modern Chinese it appears inside compounds such as 骨髓 or 精髓. When you mean bone marrow, say 骨髓 instead of 髓 alone.
How do you say bone marrow transplant in Chinese?
It is 骨髓移植 (gǔsuǐ yízhí). You may also hear 捐骨髓 (juān gǔsuǐ), which means to donate bone marrow.