The character 书 — “book”: how to write it and what it means
book
The Chinese character 书 is read shū and means “book”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 书
书 has 4 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 书, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
Words with 书
- 书店bookstoreHSK 1
- 读书study; readHSK 1
- 书包school bagHSK 2
- 电子书e-bookHSK 3
- 图书馆libraryHSK 3
- 说明书instructions, manualHSK 4
- 书房study (room)HSK 5
- 书架bookshelfHSK 5
- 图书booksHSK 5
- 证书certificateHSK 5
- 书法calligraphyHSK 5
- 秘书secretaryHSK 5
- 念书study; read (aloud)HSK 6
- 书籍books (collectively), literatureHSK 6
- 书面written (in written form)HSK 6
- 书写write (by hand); writingHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 书?
书 has 4 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 书 mean?
书 means “book”. It appears in 书店 (“bookstore”), 读书 (“study”), 书包 (“school bag”), 电子书 (“e-book”).
How do you pronounce 书?
书 is read shū. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 书 have?
4 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 书 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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