Meaning of 手
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- hand
- (formal) to hold
- person engaged in certain types of work
- person skilled in certain types of work
- personal(ly)
- convenient
- classifier for skill
Measure word: 雙|双,隻|只
How to use 手
手 means hand and appears in many everyday words, such as 手机 (shǒujī) mobile phone and 手表 (shǒubiǎo) wristwatch. It can also mean a person skilled at something, as in 对手 (duìshǒu) opponent. Example: 吃饭前要洗手。(Chīfàn qián yào xǐshǒu.) Wash your hands before eating.
手 (shǒu) looks like a hand with fingers spread out. The top stroke and the two horizontal lines are like fingers, and the long hooked vertical line is the arm or palm reaching down.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 手 (shǒu) with 毛 (máo, hair or fur). In 手 the vertical stroke goes straight through the horizontals and ends in a hook to the left, while 毛 curves to the right at the bottom.
手 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.
手 shǒu · hand · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 手.
| 手机 | shǒujī | cell phone; mobile phone |
| 洗手间 | xǐshǒujiān | toilet; lavatory |
| 手表 | shǒubiǎo | wristwatch |
| 举手 | jǔshǒu | to raise a hand; to put up one's hand (as signal) |
| 手指 | shǒuzhǐ | finger |
| 对手 | duìshǒu | opponent; rival |
| 选手 | xuǎnshǒu | athlete; contestant |
| 歌手 | gēshǒu | singer |
| 握手 | wòshǒu | to shake hands |
| 手续 | shǒuxù | procedure; formalities |
| 分手 | fēnshǒu | to part company; to split up |
| 手术 | shǒushù | (surgical) operation; surgery |
Questions about 手
What does 手 mean?
手 (shǒu) means "hand; (formal) to hold" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 手?
手 is made of 1 character: 手 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 手 an HSK word?
Yes. 手 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say left hand and right hand in Chinese?
Left hand is 左手 (zuǒshǒu) and right hand is 右手 (yòushǒu). Both are common in daily speech.
Why does 手 appear in words for people like 歌手?
手 can mean a person skilled in a certain kind of work. So 歌手 (gēshǒu) is a singer, and 选手 (xuǎnshǒu) is a contestant or player.