首 (shǒu) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order
Pronunciation & meaning
Pronounced .
- chief
- head
- leader
Stroke Order & Practice
Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.
Decomposition
首 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Top + Bottom. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.
Radical
The radical of 首 is 首 — meaning chief. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.
How the character is built
首 is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. A deer's head 自 adorned with antlers 丷.
HSK 4 Words Containing 首
Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句
首 appears in 21 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:
Tasks Featuring 首 / 相关任务
Words containing 首 appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:
FAQ
What does 首 mean in Chinese?
首 (shǒu) means chief, head, leader. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).
How many strokes does 首 have?
首 is written in 9 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 首?
The radical of 首 is 首 (chief).
What is the pinyin for 首?
首 is pronounced shǒu.
What HSK 4 words use 首?
In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 首 appears in 3 words, including 首 (shǒu), 首都 (shǒudū), 首先 (shǒuxiān). See the full list above.