Meaning of 书
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- book
- letter
- document
- to write
Measure word: 本,冊|册,部
- abbr. for 書經|书经[Shu1 jing1]
How to use 书
书 is the everyday word for a book and appears in many common words like 书店 (shūdiàn, bookstore), 书包 (shūbāo, schoolbag) and 图书馆 (túshūguǎn, library). It also carries the older senses of letter, document and to write, which survive in words like 秘书 (mìshū, secretary). Example: 我在看书。(Wǒ zài kàn shū.) I am reading a book.
Picture 书 (shū) as a book seen from the side. The curving strokes are pages bending open, and the dot on the top right is a bookmark sticking out.
Common mistake: Learners often write 书 with the dot in the wrong place or confuse it with 节 or 予. The dot goes last, at the upper right, after the vertical stroke. Also keep the first tone: shū is high and flat, not shǔ or shù.
书 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
书 shū · book · 4 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 书.
Questions about 书
What does 书 mean?
书 (shū) means "book; letter" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 书?
书 is made of 1 character: 书 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 书 an HSK word?
Yes. 书 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 书 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 书 is written 書.
What measure word do you use with 书?
Use 本 (běn) for books, as in 一本书 (yì běn shū), one book. For a set of books you can use 套 (tào).
What is the difference between 看书 and 读书?
看书 (kàn shū) means to read a book, usually silently or casually. 读书 (dú shū) can mean reading aloud, but it very often means to study or to go to school, as in 他在大学读书 (tā zài dàxué dúshū), he studies at university.