Chinese Printables Formerly Mandarin Poster
9 strokes
Character #501 · The First 1000

shǒu

head

head; chief; first (occasion, thing etc); classifier for poems, songs etc

Strokes
9
Both scripts
首
Poster cell
Y18
简 = 繁Same in simplified and traditional
01 常用词语

Common words with

  • shǒuxiān first (of all)
  • shǒudū capital (city)
  • shǒucì first
  • shǒuxí chief
  • shǒuxiàng prime minister
  • shǒuyào the most important
02 练习纸
Character practice sheet: nine rows, each with a model box, pinyin lines and eleven practice squares
Free printable · One page

Practice writing 首

Write 首 in the grey model box at the start of each row and its pinyin, shǒu, on the lines above. Then copy it across the row, following the stroke order above.

A4 PDF US Letter PDF
Nine rows of field-grid squares, 15 mm. More about this sheet
03 千字海报
Cell Y18 · 28 × 36 grid

首 is #501 on The First 1000 poster.

All 1,000 characters, printable at home.

See the poster
04 问答

Quick answers

What does 首 mean in English?
首 (shǒu) means "head": head; chief; first (occasion, thing etc); classifier for poems, songs etc.
How do you pronounce 首?
首 is pronounced shǒu in pinyin, with the third (dipping) tone. In Zhuyin (bopomofo) it is written ㄕㄡˇ.
How many strokes does 首 have?
首 has 9 strokes, in both simplified and traditional Chinese.
Is 首 the same in traditional Chinese?
Yes. 首 is written the same way in simplified and traditional Chinese.
What are common words with 首?
Common words that use 首 include 首先 (shǒuxiān, first (of all)), 首都 (shǒudū, capital (city)), 首次 (shǒucì, first), 首席 (shǒuxí, chief).
How common is 首?
首 is number 501 of the 1,000 most common Chinese characters, in cell Y18 of The First 1000 poster.

Definitions and word glosses adapted from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Stroke data from Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License), animated with Hanzi Writer.