(zhōu): boat

(zhōu) is a Chinese character meaning “boat.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical (boat). It ranks #2172 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Etymologically pictographic, a boat. Its radical form (boat) appears in many related characters such as (bān, sort), (chuán, boat), (háng, boat).

Native pronunciation
HSK 7-9Radical: boat6 strokesFrequency #2172

Definitions

  1. boat

Etymology & Origin

pictographicA boat

Stroke Order

1
2
3
4
5
6

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

Words & Compounds

Common Compounds

WordPinyinMeaning
fāng zhōuark
dú mù zhōudugout
mù yǐ chéng zhōulit. the timber has been turned into a boat already (idiom)
tóng zhōu gòng jìcross a river in the same boat (idiom)
fàn zhōuto go boating
shùn shuǐ tuī zhōulit. to push the boat with the current
pò fǔ chén zhōulit. to break the cauldrons and sink the boats (idiom)
lóng zhōudragon boat
fēng yǔ tóng zhōulit. in the same boat under wind and rain (idiom)
piān zhōu(literary) small boat
退xué rú nì shuǐ xíng zhōu , bù jìn zé tuìstudy is like rowing upstream – if you don't keep pushing forward, you fall behind
shén zhōu hào fēi chuánShenzhou (spacecraft)
退nì shuǐ xíng zhōu , bù jìn zé tuìlike rowing a boat upstream, if you stop moving forward you fall back (idiom)
nuò yà fāng zhōuNoah's ark
zhōu shān shìZhoushan, prefecture-level city in Zhejiang Province 浙江省[Zhe4 jiang1 Sheng3]
35
Total compounds
20
As first character
57
As last character
23
As middle character

appears in 35 compound words: 20 as the first character, 57 as the last, and 23 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 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.

shén
0.41710,920 co-occurrences
0.4167,056 co-occurrences
mèng
0.4111,986 co-occurrences
fàn
0.4042,442 co-occurrences
shān
0.40415,708 co-occurrences
hào
0.4049,354 co-occurrences
fāng
0.39420,484 co-occurrences
lóng
0.3933,510 co-occurrences
fēi
0.3922,940 co-occurrences
piān
0.389732 co-occurrences

Idioms & Chengyu (13)

fēngyǔtóngzhōuHSK 7+

to work together towards a common goal in a difficult situation; to go through thick and thin together

phrase
mùyǐchéngzhōuHSK 7+

the die is cast; what's done is done

phrase
nìshuǐxíngzhōuHSK 7+

to diligently engage in one's studies (like a boat going against the currents); to go against the tide

phrase
Nuóyà fāngzhōuHSK 7+

Noah's ark

Nuòyà fāngzhōuHSK 7+

Noah's ark

shùnshuǐtuīzhōuHSK 7+

to do something with the prevailing climate or tendency; to take advantage of the situation

phrase
tóngzhōugòngjìHSK 7+

to work together to overcome difficulties; to pull together in times of trouble

phrase
zài zhōu fù zhōuHSK 7+

to carry a boat or to overturn a boat (idiom); fig. The people can support a regime or overturn it.

phrase
zhōuchēláodùnHSK 7+

to become exhausted from travelling (in a vehicle, on a boat, train, airplane, etc.); to be fatigued by a long journey

phrase
Zhōushān QúndǎoHSK 7+

Zhoushan Islands (an archipelago of Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China)

pòfǔchénzhōuHSK 7+

to burn one's boats; to cross the Rubicon; to reach the point of no return

phrase

Showing 11 of 13 idioms containing .

Example Sentences

AI-Generated

一叶扁漂浮在湖面上。

Yī yè piān zhōu piāofú zài hú miàn shàng.

A small boat floats on the lake surface.

SmzdmMar 2026

如何评价《明日方:终末地》的装备养成系统?

rú hé píng jià míng rì fāng zhōu : zhōng mò dì de zhuāng bèi yǎng chéng xì tǒng ?

How would you rate the equipment progression system in *Arknights: Endland*?

Hk01.comMar 2026

来稿|星洲军机中东撤侨 和平防务同共济

lái gǎo xīng zhōu jūn jī zhōng dōng chè qiáo hé píng fáng wù tóng zhōu gòng jì

Contributed Article | Malaysian Military Aircraft Evacuate Citizens from the Middle East: Peace and Defense Stand Together

美通社Mar 2026

共赴"星辰大海",山文旅产业招商推介行活动将于3月25日启...

gòng fù xīng chén dà hǎi , zhōu shān wén lǚ chǎn yè zhāo shāng tuī jiè háng huó dòng jiāng yú 3 yuè 2 5 rì qǐ . . .

"Journey to the Stars and the Sea": The Zhoushan Culture and Tourism Investment Promotion Tour will kick off on March 25...

光明网_新闻视野、文化视角、思想深度、理论高度Mar 2026

双楫 津逮来学——读《归网遗珍——蒋维崧...

yì zhōu shuāng 楫 jīn dǎi lái xué — — dòu guī wǎng yí zhēn — — 蒋 wéi 崧 . . .

Sailing with Two Oars, Seeking Knowledge in Tianjin: A Review of *Guiwang Yizhen: Jiang Weisong...*

大紀元 | 大紀元新聞網Mar 2026

:美军空袭伊朗 “高风险”下获高回报

沈 zhōu : měi jūn kōng xí yī lǎng gāo fēng xiǎn xià huò gāo huí bào

Shen Zhou: U.S. air strikes on Iran have high returns under "high risk"

Tatoeba

我们乘着独木向河的下游而行。

Wǒmen chéng zhe dúmùzhōu xiàng hé de xiàyóu ér xíng.

We went down a river by canoe.

Tatoeba

骆驼是沙漠之

Luòtuo shì shāmò zhī zhōu.

A camel is to the desert what a ship is to the sea.

Tatoeba

端午节要赛龙

Duānwǔjié yào sàilóngzhōu.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, there needs to be a dragon boat race.

Tatoeba

七月十七日,方停在亚美尼亚的山上。

Qīyuè shíqī rì, fāngzhōu tíng zài Yàměiníyà de Shānshàng.

And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Armenia.

Character Family

Homophones — Characters pronounced zhōu

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 舟 (zhōu) mean in Chinese?
舟 (zhōu) primarily means "boat." It is classified as HSK Level 7-9, making it an expert-level character. It ranks #2172 in character frequency.
How many strokes does 舟 have?
舟 is written with 6 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 舟?
The radical associated with 舟 is 舟 (boat). This radical appears in many characters related to boat.
What are common words containing 舟?
Common words with 舟 include: 方舟 (fāng zhōu, "ark"); 独木舟 (dú mù zhōu, "dugout"); 木已成舟 (mù yǐ chéng zhōu, "lit. the timber has been turned into a boat already (idiom)"); 同舟共济 (tóng zhōu gòng jì, "cross a river in the same boat (idiom)"); 泛舟 (fàn zhōu, "to go boating"). There are over 35 compound words containing this character.
What characters sound the same as 舟 (zhōu)?
Several characters share the pronunciation zhōu: 州 (prefecture), 周 (week, around), 洲 (continent), 轴 (axis), and 4 more. Context and tones help distinguish between them in speech and writing.
Is 舟 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Yes, 舟 is written the same way in both simplified and traditional Chinese.

Practice writing with real-time feedback

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

Character data sourced from Unihan (Unicode Consortium), SUBTLEX-CH frequency corpus (Cai & Brysbaert, 2010), and Make Me a Hanzi (stroke data). Collocation strength measured via NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information). Verified by the HanziFeed linguistics team.

HSK classification follows the HSK 3.0 Standard (Center for Language Education and Cooperation, CLEC, 2022 revision). Idiom data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Data last verified: March 2026.