素 (sù): raw silk, white, plain, unadorned
素 (sù) is a Chinese character meaning “raw silk.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 龶 (structural) and 糸 (structural). It ranks #661 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 素 a silken thread 糸 hanging off a tree 龶. Its radical form 纟 (silk) appears in many related characters such as 系 (xì, to connect), 累 (lěi, to accumulate), 绍 (shào, to continue).
Definitions
- raw silk
- white
- plain, unadorned
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA silken thread 糸 hanging off a tree 龶
Decomposition: ⿱龶糸 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 素 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 素
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 因素noun | yīn sù | element | 5 |
| 元素noun | yuán sù | element (key component of sth) | 6 |
| 维生素noun | wéi shēng sù | vitamin | 6 |
| 素质noun | sù zhì | inner quality | 6 |
| 要素noun | yào sù | essential factor | 6 |
| 朴素adjective | pǔ sù | plain and simple | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 毒素 | dú sù | toxin |
| 激素 | jī sù | hormone |
| 抗生素 | kàng shēng sù | antibiotic |
| 素食 | sù shí | vegetarian food |
| 素材 | sù cái | source material (in literature and art) |
| 素描 | sù miáo | sketch |
| 罗素 | luó sù | Russell (name) |
| 吃素 | chī sù | to be a vegetarian |
| 色素 | sè sù | pigment |
| 雌激素 | cí jī sù | estrogen |
| 催产素 | cuī chǎn sù | oxytocin |
| 素数 | sù shù | prime number |
| 素养 | sù yǎng | (personal) accomplishment |
| 素来 | sù lái | consistently |
| 素菜 | sù cài | vegetable dish |
素 appears in 100 compound words: 24 as the first character, 71 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 素 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (16)
Showing 12 of 16 idioms containing 素.
Example Sentences
写好素字需要掌握正确的笔画顺序。
xiě hǎo sù zì xū yāo zhǎng wò zhēng què de bǐ huà shùn xù .
To write the character "素" well, one must master the correct stroke order.
张琼姿餐厅卷入高金素梅涉贪案 昔“车内密会潘若迪”险被离婚
zhāng 琼 zī cān tīng juǎn rù gāo jīn sù méi shè tān àn xī chē nèi mì huì pān ruò dí xiǎn bèi lí hūn
Zhang Qiongzi's restaurant was involved in Gao Jin Sumei's corruption case, and the former "secret meeting Pan Ruodi in the car" was almost divorced
罗素克洛主演的《纽伦堡》3月Netflix上...
luó sù kè 洛 zhǔ yǎn de niǔ lún bǎo 3 yuè N e t f l i x shàng . . .
"Nuremberg" starring Russell Crowe will be on Netflix in March...
会财局:去年违规不算太多 强调监管质素要有底线
huì cái jú : qù nián wéi guī bù suàn tài duō qiáng diào jiān guǎn zhì sù yāo yǒu de xiàn
Bureau of Finance and Finance: There were not too many violations last year, emphasizing that there should be a bottom line for regulatory quality
...铁路引入中国标淮 可望减成本 惟评论忧质素及外国参与降
. . . tiě lù yǐn rù zhōng guó biāo huái kě wàng jiǎn chéng běn 惟 píng lùn yōu zhì sù jí wài guó cān yǔ jiàng
... The introduction of the railway into China's standard Huai is expected to reduce costs, but commentators are worried about the quality and foreign participation
主播说国防丨将朴素的情感,化为坚实的行动
zhǔ bō shuō guó fáng 丨 jiāng pǔ sù de qíng gǎn , huà wéi jiān shí de háng dòng
The anchor said that national defense丨 will turn simple emotions into solid actions
这家餐厅提供纯素食菜吗?
Zhè jiā cāntīng tígōng chúnsùshí cài ma?
Does this restaurant serve vegan dishes?
你最后一次注射胰岛素之后有正常饮食吗?
Nǐ zuì hòu yīcì zhùshè yídǎosù zhīhòu yǒu zhèngcháng yǐnshí ma?
Have you been keeping up a normal diet since the last shot of insulin?
您真的点了地瓜片来搭配素食汉堡吗?
Nín zhēn de diǎn le dìguā piàn lái dāpèi sùshí hànbǎo ma?
Did you really order sweet potato fries to go with your veggie burger?
她住在罗素广场56号。
Tā zhù zài Luósù guǎngchǎng wǔ shí liù hào.
She lived at 56 Russell Square.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 素 (sù) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 素 and 黑?
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What is the radical of 素?
What are the components of 素?
What are common words containing 素?
What characters sound the same as 素 (sù)?
Is 素 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 素 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.