Meaning of 首都
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- capital (city)
Measure word: 個|个
How to use 首都
首都 is a common noun for a country's capital city, often used with a country name before it or with 是 (shì). Example: 北京是中国的首都。(Běijīng shì Zhōngguó de shǒudū.) Beijing is the capital of China.
首 (shǒu) means head or first, and 都 (dū) means a big city. The capital is the head city of a country.
Common mistake: Learners often read 都 as dōu, as in 全都 (quándōu), but in 首都 it is pronounced dū. Also note that 首 is third tone (shǒu), not the second-tone 手 (shǒu) is also third tone, so do not confuse the characters 首 (head) and 手 (hand) in writing.
首都 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.
首 shǒu · head · 9 strokes
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- 9
都 dōu · all · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 首都.
| 首先 | shǒuxiān | first of all; in the first place |
| 全都 | quándōu | all; without exception |
| 大都 | dàdū | for the most part; on the whole |
| 首相 | shǒuxiàng | prime minister (of Japan or UK etc) |
| 首席 | shǒuxí | seat of honor; chief (representative, correspondent etc) |
| 首次 | shǒucì | first; first time |
| 都市 | dūshì | city; metropolis |
| 首脑 | shǒunǎo | head (of state); summit (meeting) |
| 元首 | yuánshǒu | head of state |
| 首要 | shǒuyào | the most important; of chief importance |
| 首饰 | shǒushì | jewelry; head ornament |
| 罪魁祸首 | zuìkuí-huòshǒu | (idiom) criminal ringleader; main offender; main culprit; main cause of a disaster |
Questions about 首都
What does 首都 mean?
首都 (shǒudū) means "capital (city)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 首都?
首都 is made of 2 characters: 首 (9 strokes), 都 (10 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 首都 an HSK word?
Yes. 首都 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say 'What is the capital of a country' in Chinese?
Say 'X的首都是哪里？' (X de shǒudū shì nǎlǐ?). For example, 日本的首都是哪里？(Rìběn de shǒudū shì nǎlǐ?) What is the capital of Japan?
Can 首都 mean a state or provincial capital?
Usually no. 首都 is for a nation's capital. For a provincial capital, Chinese uses 省会 (shěnghuì).