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.

shǒu首xiān先
HSK 3

first of all; in the first place

Open 首先 page →
shǒu首dū都
HSK 3

capital (city)

Open 首都 page →
shǒu首xí席
HSK 6

chief (representative, correspondent etc)

Open 首席 page →
shǒu首cì次
HSK 6

first

Open 首次 page →
shǒu首xiàng相
HSK 6

prime minister (of Japan or UK etc)

Open 首相 page →
shǒu首nǎo脑
HSK 6

head (of state)

Open 首脑 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 →

Related characters

More HSK 3 characters

专世丰丽义乡乱争

From 首’s common words

先都席次相脑俯元

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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