首 — measure word
measure word (songs, poems)
How to pronounce it
首 is read shǒu. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
A drawing of a head with hair. It's also the measure word for songs and poems.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “首”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 首. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 首先预习课文，然后做练习。shǒuxiānyùxíkèwén,ránhòuzuòliànxíFirst read the text ahead of time, then do the exercises.
- 学外语，首先要多听，其次要多说。xuéwàiyǔ,shǒuxiānyàoduōtīng,qícìyàoduōshuōTo learn a foreign language, firstly you need to listen a lot, and secondly to speak a lot.
- 首先要多听其次要多说shǒuxiānyàoduōtīng,qícìyàoduōshuōFirstly, you need to listen a lot; secondly, to speak a lot.
- 中国的首都在北方ZhōngguódeshǒudūzàiběifāngChina's capital is in the north.
- 这首歌很好听。zhèshǒugēhěnhǎotīngThis song sounds really nice.
- 我给大家唱一首歌吧wǒgěidàjiāchàngyìshǒugēbaLet me sing everyone a song.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Song, painting, film”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
What does 首 mean?
首 (shǒu) means “measure word (songs, poems)”.
How do you write 首?
首 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 首?
首 is read shǒu. Tones: shǒu — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“measure word” in the lesson “Song, painting, film”
This word is from the topic “Art and the stage” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free