How to say “capital” in Chinese
capital (city)
“Capital” in Chinese is 首都, shǒu dū: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
首都 is read shǒu dū: 2 syllables. 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 “首都”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 首都. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 中国的首都在北方ZhōngguódeshǒudūzàiběifāngChina's capital is in the north.
More words from the lesson “China: provinces and peoples”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “capital” in Chinese?
“Capital” in Chinese is 首都, pinyin shǒudū.
What does 首都 mean?
首都 (shǒudū) means “capital (city)”.
How do you write 首都?
首都 is 2 characters: 首 (shǒu) — head; first, chief; 都 (dōu) — all. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 首都?
首都 is read shǒudū. Tones: shǒu — third tone, dū — first tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“capital” in the lesson “China: provinces and peoples”
This word is from the topic “Society and country” 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