首(shǒu)

HSK 39 strokes

head

Print a 首 worksheet PDFPractice writing 首

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
shǒu
Meaning
head; chief; first (occasion, thing etc); classifier for poems, songs etc
Strokes
9
HSK level
HSK 3
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where 首 comes from and how its parts fit together.

Ideograph⿱丷自

A deer's head 自 adorned with antlers 丷

A combination of parts whose meanings add up to the whole.

Made of

丷bā自zì

Parts are arranged top to bottom.

How to write 首 step by step

9 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9

Words with 首

Common words using 首 — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

fǔ俯shǒu首
HSK 7-9

to bend one's head

Open 俯首 page →
yuán元shǒu首
HSK 7-9

head of state

Open 元首 page →
huí回shǒu首
HSK 7-9

to turn around; to look back

Open 回首 page →
shàng上shǒu首

seat of honor; first place

Open 上首 page →
dī低shǒu首xià下xīn心

to be fawningly submissive (idiom)

Open 低首下心 page →
hé何shǒu首wū乌

Chinese knotweed (Polygonum multiflorum)

Open 何首乌 page →
fǔ俯shǒu首tiē帖ěr耳

bowed head and ears glued (idiom); docile and obedient

Open 俯首帖耳 page →
bǐ匕shǒu首

dagger

Open 匕首 page →

Related characters

More HSK 3 characters

专世丰丽义乡乱争

From 首’s common words

俯元回上低下心何

Ready to master 首?

Trace 首 stroke by stroke in the online practice tool, or turn it into a printable worksheet PDF with Tianzige practice grids, pinyin, and stroke-order breakdowns.

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