勺 (sháo): spoon, ladle, CL:把
勺 (sháo) is a Chinese character meaning “spoon.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 勹 (structural) and 丶 (structural). It ranks #2864 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 勺 a spoon 勹 with something in it 丶. Its radical form 勹 (wrap) appears in many related characters such as 包 (bāo, to cover), 勾 (gōu, to attract), 勿 (wù, do not).
Definitions
- spoon
- ladle
- CL:把
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA spoon 勹 with something in it 丶
Decomposition: ⿹勹丶 (layout: surround-from-upper-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 勺 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 勺
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 后脑勺noun | hòu nǎo sháo | back of the head |
| 汤勺noun | tāng sháo | soup ladle |
| 掌勺noun | zhǎng sháo | to be in charge of the cooking |
| 漏勺noun | lòu sháo | perforated spoon |
| 一马勺坏一锅 | yī mǎ sháo huài yī guō | one ladle (of sth bad) spoils the (whole) pot (idiom) |
| 公勺noun | gōng sháo | serving spoon |
| 水勺 | shuǐ sháo | ladle |
| 马勺noun | mǎ sháo | wooden ladle |
| 脑勺noun | nǎo sháo | back of the head |
| 饭勺noun | fàn sháo | rice paddle |
| 耳挖勺noun | ěr wā sháo | (dialect) earpick |
| 挖耳勺noun | wā ěr sháo | ear pick |
| 勺嘴鹬 | sháo zuǐ yù | (bird species of China) spoon-billed sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea) |
| 掏耳勺noun | tāo ěr sháo | ear pick |
| 勺鸡 | sháo jī | (bird species of China) koklass pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha) |
勺 appears in 20 compound words: 15 as the first character, 80 as the last, and 5 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 勺 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Example Sentences
我在字典里查到了勺字的详细解释。
wǒ zài zì diǎn lǐ chá dào le sháo zì de xiáng xì xiè shì .
I looked up the detailed explanation of the character "勺" in the dictionary.
一个颠勺几年的厨师,交一笔钱就能挂上“大师”头衔。
yī gè diān sháo jī nián de chú shī , jiāo yī bǐ qián jiù néng guà shàng dà shī tóu xián .
A chef who’s been flipping pans for a few years can earn the title of “master” just by paying a fee.
再调一小碟淡味蘸汁:蒜末少许,加生抽一勺、香醋一勺、白糖少许、香油几滴,搅匀即成。
zài diào yī xiǎo dié dàn wèi zhàn zhī : suàn mò shǎo xǔ , jiā shēng chōu yī sháo , xiāng cù yī sháo , bái táng shǎo xǔ , xiāng yóu jī dī , jiǎo yún jí chéng .
Prepare another small dish of a mild dipping sauce: Add a small amount of minced garlic, one spoonful of light soy sauce, one spoonful of aromatic vinegar, a pinch of white sugar, and a few drops of sesame oil. Stir well to combine.
危险的速度差 日本站比赛,贝尔曼在铃鹿的勺子弯前试图超越前方的克拉平托。
wēi xiǎn de sù dù chā rì běn zhàn bǐ sài , bèi ěr màn zài líng lù de sháo zǐ wān qián shì tú chāo yuè qián fāng de kè lā píng tuō .
A Dangerous Speed Difference: During the Japanese Grand Prix, Belman attempted to pass Klapinto, who was ahead of him, before the Spoon Curve at Suzuka.
临出锅时,烹入一勺香醋,酸香瞬间激发,去腥提鲜。
lín chū guō shí , pēng rù yī sháo xiāng cù , suān xiāng shùn jiān jī fā , qù xīng tí xiān .
Just before serving, add a spoonful of aromatic vinegar—its tangy aroma will instantly bring out the dish’s flavor, removing any fishy smell and enhancing its natural freshness.
香椿芽洗净,切成碎丁,一勺盐便是最好的调味。
xiāng 椿 yá xǐ jìng , qiē chéng suì dīng , yī sháo yán biàn shì zuì hǎo de diào wèi .
Wash the Chinese toon sprouts, chop them into small pieces, and a spoonful of salt is the best seasoning.
麻烦了,请给我一把汤勺好吗?
Máfan le, qǐng gěi wǒ yī bǎ tāng sháo hǎo ma?
Excuse me, may I have a spoon?
宝宝还不会使用勺子。
Bǎobǎo hái bù huì shǐyòng sháozi.
The baby cannot use a spoon yet.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 勺 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 勺 with real-time feedback
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