收 meaning in English

shōu

to receive; to accept

HSK 2verb6 strokes

Meaning of 收

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

shōu

to receive
to accept
to collect
to put away
to restrain
to stop
in care of (used on address line after name)

How to use 收

收 is most often used as a verb meaning to receive or collect, and it appears in many common words like 收到 (shōudào) and 收入 (shōurù). It can also mean to put things away or to stop something. Example: 我收到你的信了。(Wǒ shōudào nǐ de xìn le.) I received your letter.

The right side of 收 (shōu) is the 攵 component, which looks like a hand holding a stick. Picture a hand reaching out to gather things in and put them away, which is the core idea of receiving and collecting.

Common mistake: Learners often say 收 alone when they mean "received" and forget to add 到, but natural speech uses 收到 to show the item actually arrived. Also keep the first tone shōu flat and high, and do not confuse it with 手 (shǒu, hand), which has the third tone.

收 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

你nǐ很hěn快kuài就jiù会huì收shōu到dào他tā的de信xìn。

You'll get his letter soon.

我wǒ期qī待dài很hěn快kuài就jiù能néng收shōu到dào你nǐ的de信xìn。

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

您nín能néng把bǎ收shōu音yīn机jī开kāi小xiǎo声shēng一yì点diǎn吗ma？

Could you turn down the radio?

请qǐng把bǎ收shōu音yīn机jī关guān小xiǎo声shēng一yì点diǎn。

Please turn down the radio.

我wǒ不bù知zhī到dào我wǒ爸bà的de年nián收shōu入rù是shì多duō少shǎo。

I don't know my father's annual income.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

收 shōu · to receive · 6 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 收.

收到	shōudào	to receive
收入	shōurù	to take in; income
收音机	shōuyīnjī	radio
收看	shōukàn	to watch (a TV program)
收费	shōufèi	to charge a fee
收听	shōutīng	to listen to (a radio broadcast)
收回	shōuhuí	to regain; to retake
收获	shōuhuò	to harvest; to reap
吸收	xīshōu	to absorb; to assimilate
收益	shōuyì	earnings; profit
收拾	shōushi	to put in order; to tidy up
收集	shōují	to gather; to collect

Questions about 收

What does 收 mean?

收 (shōu) means "to receive; to accept" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 收?

收 is made of 1 character: 收 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.

Is 收 an HSK word?

Yes. 收 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 收 and 接 when receiving something?

收 focuses on getting and keeping something, like 收到礼物 (shōudào lǐwù, receive a gift). 接 focuses on taking something that is handed to you or meeting someone, like 接电话 (jiē diànhuà, answer the phone) or 接人 (jiē rén, pick someone up).

How do I use 收 to mean put things away or tidy up?

Use 收起来 (shōu qǐlái) or 收拾 (shōushi). For example, 把玩具收起来 (bǎ wánjù shōu qǐlái) means put the toys away.