书
书 (shū) means “book”. It is made of 丨 and has 4 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 书 into its parts
What 书 is made of
- 丨 — vertical stroke
Origin hint: A mark made by a pen ⺺ (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
书 stroke order
Example sentences
我喜欢看书。Wǒ xǐhuan kàn shū.I like reading books.
这本书好看吗？Zhè běn shū hǎokàn ma?Is this book good?
Words with 书
- 读书dúshūto study
- 书包shūbāoschoolbag
- 书店shūdiànbookshop
- 图书馆túshūguǎnlibrary
- 书架shūjiàbookshelf
- 秘书mìshūsecretary
- 通知书tōngzhīshūnotice
- 书法shūfǎcalligraphy
- 书籍shūjíbooks
- 书记shūjisecretary (of a party branch)
- 书面shūmiànwritten
- 证书zhèngshūcertificate
- 电子书diànzǐshūe-book
- 说明书shuōmíngshūinstruction manual
Also built with 丨
- 个gègeneral measure word
- 中zhōngmiddle
- 丰fēngabundant
- 串chuànstring
- 十shíten
- 山shānmountain
- 川chuānstream
- 巾jīncloth
- 引yǐnto lead
- 旧jiùold
- 止zhǐto stop
- 申shēnto report
Quick facts
| Pinyin | shū |
|---|---|
| Meaning | book |
| Strokes | 4 |
| Radical | 丨 (vertical line, #2) |
| Pattern | Overlapping |
| HSK | HSK 1 (exam 2025) · HSK 1 (2021) · Old HSK 1 |
Questions about 书
What does 书 mean?
书 (shū) means “book”.
How many strokes does 书 have?
书 has 4 strokes.
What is the radical of 书?
The radical of 书 is 丨 (gǔn, “vertical line”), Kangxi radical number 2.
What parts make up 书?
书 is made of 丨 (vertical stroke).
Which HSK level is 书?
书 is in HSK 1 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021) and Old HSK 1.
Learn 书 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 6: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.