鼠 (shǔ): (bound form) rat, mouse
鼠 (shǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “(bound form) rat.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 臼 (structural). It ranks #1679 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 鼠 a mouse, with two paws to the left and the tail to the right. Its radical form 鼠 (rat) appears in many related characters.
Definitions
- (bound form) rat
- mouse
Etymology & Origin
pictographicA mouse, with two paws to the left and the tail to the right
Stroke Order
Practice writing 鼠 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 鼠
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 松鼠 | sōng shǔ | squirrel |
| 鼹鼠 | yǎn shǔ | mole (zoology) |
| 袋鼠 | dài shǔ | kangaroo |
| 鼠疫 | shǔ yì | plague |
| 土拨鼠 | tǔ bō shǔ | (zoology) marmot (in the US, esp. groundhog or woodchuck) |
| 仓鼠 | cāng shǔ | hamster |
| 田鼠 | tián shǔ | vole |
| 黄鼠狼 | huáng shǔ láng | see 黃鼬|黄鼬[huang2 you4] |
| 米老鼠 | mǐ lǎo shǔ | Mickey Mouse |
| 鼠辈 | shǔ bèi | a scoundrel |
| 天竺鼠 | tiān zhú shǔ | guinea pig |
| 豚鼠 | tún shǔ | guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) |
| 鼠药 | shǔ yào | rat poison |
| 捕鼠器 | bǔ shǔ qì | mousetrap |
| 过街老鼠 | guò jiē lǎo shǔ | sb or sth detested by all |
鼠 appears in 95 compound words: 21 as the first character, 45 as the last, and 34 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 鼠 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (15)
the cat weeps for the dead mouse (idiom); hypocritical pretence of condolence; crocodile tears
Showing 12 of 15 idioms containing 鼠.
Example Sentences
学习鼠字需要反复练习，才能写得工整。
xué xí shǔ zì xū yāo fǎn fù liàn xí , cái néng xiě dé gōng zhěng .
Mastering the character "鼠" requires repeated practice to write it neatly.
...创计划 #澳大利亚 #旅游 #滑沙 #袋鼠
. . . chuàng jì huá ào dà lì yà lǚ yóu huá shā dài shǔ
...Create Plan #Australia #Travel #Sandboarding #Kangaroos
玩偶会动?“野生负鼠”闯机场商店 隐身术混进娃娃区骗倒一堆人
wán ǒu huì dòng ? yě shēng fù shǔ chuǎng jī chǎng shāng diàn yǐn shēn shù hùn jìn wá wá qū piàn dǎo yī duī rén
Can a stuffed animal move? A "wild opossum" invades an airport store, using its camouflage to sneak into the stuffed animal section and fool a bunch of people
全联惊见老鼠爽啃高丽菜! 官方发声明:紧急停业清消
quán lián jīng jiàn lǎo shǔ shuǎng kěn gāo lí cài ! guān fāng fā shēng míng : jǐn jí tíng yè qīng xiāo
Mice Spotted Gorging on Cabbage at All-Union! Official Statement: Store Closed Immediately for Disinfection
.../返乡农夫自然农法种出4台斤地瓜王 土拨鼠也回来了
. . . fǎn xiāng nóng fū zì rán nóng fǎ zhǒng chū 4 tái jīn dì guā wáng tǔ bō shǔ yě huí lái le
.../Returning farmer naturally farmed 4 pounds of sweet potato king The groundhog is also back
明起大发横财!“三大生肖”财神加持...鼠有贵人、这动物意外奖金落袋
míng qǐ dà fā héng cái ! sān dà shēng xiào cái shén jiā chí . . . shǔ yǒu guì rén , zhè dòng wù yì wài jiǎng jīn luò dài
Tomorrow you will make a windfall!" The three zodiac signs "God of Wealth Blessing... The rat has a nobleman, and this animal has an unexpected bonus
这只老鼠是死还是活的？
Zhè zhī lǎoshǔ shì sǐ háishi huó de?
Is the rat alive or dead?
如果你是只松鼠，你会怎么做？
Rúguǒ nǐ shì zhǐ sōngshǔ, nǐ huì zěnme zuò?
If you were a squirrel, what would you do?
要不要买个无线鼠标呢？
Yàobù yào mǎi gè wúxiàn shǔbiāo ne?
Should I buy a wireless mouse?
你认为你是什么野兽？猎犬还是老鼠？
Nǐ rènwéi nǐ shì shénme yěshòu? lièquǎn háishi lǎoshǔ?
What beast dost thou think thou art? Art thou a hound or a rat?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 鼠 (shǔ) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 鼠 have?
What is the radical of 鼠?
What are the components of 鼠?
What are common words containing 鼠?
What characters sound the same as 鼠 (shǔ)?
Is 鼠 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 鼠 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.