Meaning of 属
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- category
- genus (taxonomy)
- family members
- dependents
- to belong to
- subordinate to
- affiliated with
- be born in the year of (one of the 12 animals)
- to join together
- to fix one's attention on
- to concentrate on
How to use 属
属 (shǔ) is most often used for belonging to a group or category, as in 属于 (shǔyú) and 家属 (jiāshǔ). In daily talk it is very common for asking about someone's zodiac animal. Example: 我属马。(Wǒ shǔ mǎ.) I was born in the Year of the Horse.
Picture 属 (shǔ) as a roof-like 尸 sheltering everything underneath it. Whatever sits under that cover belongs to the same group or family.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 属 (shǔ) with 数 (shǔ, to count) because they share the same sound and tone, so 属于 and 数一数 get mixed up in writing. Also note that 属 is read zhǔ in a few literary words like 属意 (zhǔyì), not shǔ.
属 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.
属 shǔ · category · 12 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 属.
| 属于 | shǔyú | to belong to; to fall under (a category) |
| 家属 | jiāshǔ | family member; (family) dependent |
| 亲属 | qīnshǔ | kin; kindred |
| 金属 | jīnshǔ | metal |
| 下属 | xiàshǔ | subordinate; underling |
| 所属 | suǒshǔ | one's affiliation (i.e. the organization one is affiliated with); subordinate (i.e. those |
| 归属 | guīshǔ | to belong to; to be affiliated to |
| 属性 | shǔxìng | attribute; property |
| 附属 | fùshǔ | subsidiary; auxiliary |
| 非金属 | fēijīnshǔ | nonmetal (chemistry) |
| 纯属 | chúnshǔ | to be purely; pure and simple |
| 属实 | shǔshí | to turn out to be true; verified |
Questions about 属
What does 属 mean?
属 (shǔ) means "category; genus (taxonomy)" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 属?
属 is made of 1 character: 属 (12 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 属 an HSK word?
Yes. 属 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 属 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 属 is written 屬.
How do I ask someone what their Chinese zodiac animal is?
Say 你属什么？(Nǐ shǔ shénme?) to mean What is your zodiac sign. The answer uses 属 plus the animal, for example 我属龙 (Wǒ shǔ lóng), I was born in the Year of the Dragon.
What is the difference between 属 and 属于?
属 on its own appears mainly in set patterns like the zodiac (属狗) or in compounds. To say something belongs to a person, group, or category in a full sentence, use 属于, as in 这本书属于我 (Zhè běn shū shǔyú wǒ), This book belongs to me.