手 (shǒu): hand
手 (shǒu) is a Chinese character meaning “hand.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 扌 (hand). It ranks #143 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 手 a hand with the fingers splayed. Its radical form 扌 (hand) appears in many related characters such as 打 (dǎ, hit, make), 找 (zhǎo, to look for), 拿 (ná, to take, to hold).
Definitions
- hand
Etymology & Origin
pictographicA hand with the fingers splayed
Stroke Order
Practice writing 手 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 手
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 选手noun | xuǎn shǒu | athlete | 5 |
| 手术noun/verb | shǒu shù | (surgical) operation | 5 |
| 手机noun | shǒu jī | cell phone | 1 |
| 分手verb | fēn shǒu | to part company | 5 |
| 歌手noun | gē shǒu | singer | 4 |
| 对手noun | duì shǒu | opponent | 5 |
| 动手verb | dòng shǒu | to set about (a task) | 5 |
| 助手noun | zhù shǒu | assistant | 6 |
| 手指noun | shǒu zhǐ | finger | 5 |
| 手段noun | shǒu duàn | method | 5 |
| 洗手间noun | xǐ shǒu jiān | toilet | 2 |
| 手臂noun | shǒu bì | arm (from shoulder to wrist) | 6 |
| 手套noun | shǒu tào | glove | 5 |
| 手表noun | shǒu biǎo | wristwatch | 2 |
| 高手noun | gāo shǒu | expert | 6 |
| 手法noun | shǒu fǎ | technique | 6 |
| 握手verb | wò shǒu | to shake hands | 5 |
| 手工noun | shǒu gōng | handwork | 5 |
| 手势noun | shǒu shì | gesture | 6 |
| 手续noun | shǒu xù | procedure | 5 |
| 二手adjective | èr shǒu | indirectly acquired | 5 |
| 招手verb | zhāo shǒu | to wave | 6 |
| 随手adverb | suí shǒu | conveniently | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 凶手noun | xiōng shǒu | murderer |
| 杀手noun | shā shǒu | killer |
| 住手verb | zhù shǒu | to desist |
| 手里 | shǒu lǐ | in hand |
| 放手verb | fàng shǒu | to let go one's hold |
| 手下noun | shǒu xià | under one's control or administration |
| 下手 | xià shǒu | to start |
| 手枪noun | shǒu qiāng | pistol |
| 接手verb | jiē shǒu | to take over (duties etc) |
| 双手noun | shuāng shǒu | both hands |
| 插手verb | chā shǒu | to get involved in |
| 亲手adverb | qīn shǒu | with one's own hands |
| 手铐 | shǒu kào | manacles |
| 右手noun | yòu shǒu | right hand |
手 appears in 161 compound words: 32 as the first character, 55 as the last, and 12 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 手 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (70)
to take any measures to do something; to stop at nothing; by hook or by crook; unscrupulously
bare-handed and unarmed; without any reliance; without anything to rely on
to come to blows; to start a fight; (derived from the term for a type of theatrical fight scene, 打出手)
Showing 12 of 70 idioms containing 手.
Example Sentences
手术前医生必须彻底清洗双手，确保无菌操作。
Shǒushù qián yīshēng bìxū chèdǐ qīngxǐ shuāngshǒu, quèbǎo wújūn cāozuò.
Before surgery, doctors must thoroughly wash their hands to ensure aseptic operation.
小伙出售前女友送的银手镯,剪开发现内芯为30克高纯..
xiǎo huǒ chū shòu qián nǚ yǒu sòng de yín shǒu 镯 , jiǎn kāi fā xiàn nèi xīn wéi kè gāo chún . .
The guy sold his ex-girlfriend to send the silver bracelet, cut open and found that the core for 30 grams of high-purity...
...冬奥会DAY12观赛指南:刘少昂林孝埈携手冲金
. . . dōng ào huì guàn sài zhǐ nán liú shǎo áng lín xiào 埈 xié shǒu chōng jīn
Winter Olympics Day 12 Viewing Guide: Liu Shaoang and Lim Hyo-joong Team Up for Gold
...应在电影《惊蛰无声》中“间谍在垃圾桶交接手..
. . . yīng zài diàn yǐng jīng 蛰 mó shēng zhōng jiān dié zài lā jī tǒng jiāo jiē shǒu . .
...In the film Silent Awakening, the scene where spies exchange items in a trash can...
新春走基层·驻外记者回乡手记丨在中国,感受火箭一飞..
xīn chūn zǒu jī céng zhù wài jì zhě huí xiāng shǒu jì 丨 zài zhōng guó , gǎn shòu huǒ jiàn yī fēi . .
Spring Festival at the Grassroots Level: Correspondents' Homecoming Notes丨In China, Witnessing a Rocket's Soaring Flight...
...中的暖流丨贵安新区市场监督管理局为外卖骑手送去..
. . . zhōng de nuǎn liú 丨 guì ān xīn ōu shì chǎng jiān dū guǎn lǐ jú wéi wài mài qí shǒu sòng qù . .
A Warm Current in the Community | Gui'an New Area Market Supervision Administration Delivers Care to Food Delivery Riders
我的手机不见了，怎么办？
Wǒ de shǒujī bùjiànle, zěnmebàn?
I lost my phone, what should I do?
你还没洗手，不是吗？
Nǐ hái méi xǐshǒu, bùshìma?
You haven't washed your hands yet, have you?
你现在手头儿有钱吗？先借我点儿。
Nǐ xiànzài shǒutóu r yǒuqián ma? xiān jiè wǒ diǎnr.
Do you have cash on you now? Could you lend me some?
我可以去洗手间吗？
Wǒ kěyǐ qù xǐshǒujiān ma?
May I go to the bathroom?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 手 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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