(sǒu)

9 strokes

old gentleman

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
sǒu
Meaning
old gentleman; old man
Strokes
9
HSK level
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where comes from and how its parts fit together.

Ideograph⿱⿻臼丨又

A hand 又 holding up a candle, representing failing vision

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

Made of

Parts are arranged top to bottom.

How to write 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

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

qiáosǒu

Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400), English poet, author of The Canterbury Tales …

Open 乔叟 page →

lit. the old man lost his horse, but it all turned out for the best (idiom)

Open 北叟失马 page →

cheating neither old nor young (idiom); treating youngsters and old folk equally scrupu…

Open 童叟无欺 page →

Related characters

Ready to master 叟?

Trace 叟 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.