粟 (Sù): surname Su, millet

粟 (Sù) is a Chinese character meaning “surname su.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 米 (rice). It ranks #3700 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Native pronunciation

HSK 7-9 Radical: 米 rice12 strokesFrequency #3700

Definitions

surname Su
millet

Stroke Order

Practice writing 粟 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.

Words & Compounds

Common Compounds

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
罂粟	yīng sù	poppy
粟米	sù mǐ	corn
粟子	sù zi	(dialect) millet
起粟	qǐ sù	to get goose bumps
包粟	bāo sù	(dialect) corn
脱粟	tuō sù	grain kernel (after threshing and winnowing)
布帛菽粟	bù bó shū sù	lit. cloth, silk, beans and grain (idiom)
沧海一粟	cāng hǎi yī sù	lit. one grain floating on the ocean (idiom)
苞粟	bāo sù	variant of 包粟[bao1 su4]
粟裕	sù yù	Su Yu (1907-1984), PLA commander

Total compounds

As first character

As last character

As middle character

粟 appears in 10 compound words: 30 as the first character, 70 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Idioms & Chengyu (1)

沧海一粟cānghǎiyīsùHSK 7+

drop in the ocean; drop in the bucket

phrase

Example Sentences

AI-Generated

老师教我们粟字的发音和笔顺。

lǎo shī jiào wǒ men Sù zì de fā yīn hé bǐ shùn .

The teacher taught us the pronunciation and stroke order of the character "粟."

光明网_新闻视野、文化视角、思想深度、理论高度Mar 2026

刘海粟艺术教育思想文献展开幕

liú hǎi Sù yì shù jiào yù sī xiǎng wén xiàn zhǎn kāi mù

Exhibition of Documents on Liu Haisu’s Art Education Philosophy Opens

Character Family

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 粟 (Sù) mean in Chinese?

粟 (Sù) primarily means "surname su." It is classified as HSK Level 7-9, making it an expert-level character. It ranks #3700 in character frequency.

How many strokes does 粟 have?

粟 is written with 12 strokes. The correct stroke order matters for recognition and handwriting speed — practice with the animated guide above to build proper technique.

What is the radical of 粟?

The radical associated with 粟 is 米 (rice). This radical appears in many characters related to rice.

What are common words containing 粟?

Common words with 粟 include: 罂粟 (yīng sù, "poppy"); 粟米 (sù mǐ, "corn"); 粟子 (sù zi, "(dialect) millet"); 起粟 (qǐ sù, "to get goose bumps"); 包粟 (bāo sù, "(dialect) corn"). There are over 10 compound words containing this character.

Is 粟 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

Yes, 粟 is written the same way in both simplified and traditional Chinese.

Practice writing 粟 with real-time feedback

Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.

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