HanziGuru.宿 · sù
宿
sù[su4]Tone 4

lodge for the night, old, former

HSK 5
Multiple Readings (多音字):
Guru Deep Dive

English · lodge for the night, old, former

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Full enclosure
Strokes:11
Writing Balance Rule: The roof structure (宀) must crown the character stably, while the lower parts (百 and 人) nest symmetrically underneath without crowding the sides.
1. Meaning

lodge for the night, stay overnight

old, former, previousconstellation, mansion (astronomy)surname Su
Verb / Adjectiveliterary / formalBound morpheme#travel#accommodation#time#astronomy
Sample Usage
  • 他们在山里住宿。
    tāmen zài shān lǐ zhù sù.
    They stay overnight in the mountains.
  • 这是我的宿愿。
    zhè shì wǒ de sù yuàn.
    This is my long-cherished desire.
2. Sound
/[su⁵¹]/Tone: 51
宿
sùsu4
++
`(51)
=sù
Initial Consonant
s
Type: Dental Fricative
Sounds like: s like in 'see'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Clear, steady sibilant hiss.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tip of the tongue rests right behind the lower front teeth while air escapes through a narrow groove.
Final Rhyme
u
Vowel Group: -u vowel group
Sounds like: u rhymes with 'oo' in 'boot'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oo'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges sharply down, exactly like shouting 'No!' in frustration.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the retroflex 'shù' with the alveolar 'sù'. Remember that 's' is flat and dental-alveolar, not curled back.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, commanding downward chop of the hand from high to low, representing a definitive drop in pitch.
3. Writing

Topology: Full enclosure · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The roof structure (宀) must crown the character stably, while the lower parts (百 and 人) nest symmetrically underneath without crowding the sides.

4. Components

Radical 宀 · Roof Radical (roof, building, shelter)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 宀 (Denotes a shelter or building where one stays overnight.)

Picture a traveler taking shelter under a roof (宀) on a hundred (百) paths, resting for a person (人) or night.

  • 宀 roof / shelter
  • 百 hundred
  • 人 person
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally depicted a person lying on a mat inside a house, signifying lodging or sleeping overnight. Over time, the glyph components evolved to include the roof and phonetic elements.

Semantic Evolution: From the physical act of staying overnight in a shelter, it expanded to mean 'old/former' (as in long-standing overnight experience) and astronomical lunar mansions.

  • In ancient Chinese astronomy, the sky was divided into 28 lunar mansions called 'xiù' (宿), which tracked the moon's nightly resting points.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: シュク (shuku) / Kun: やど.る, やど.す, やど (yado)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
숙
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

A traveler under a roof (宀) counts a hundred (百) sheep before resting like a tired person (人) to lodge for the night.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
缩(suō)
缩 has the thread radical (纟) on the left meaning 'to shrink', whereas 宿 has the roof radical (宀) meaning 'to lodge'.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我们在这家酒店住___了一晚。
Clue: sù
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone 4 reading (sù - lodge/old) with xiù when used in the context of astronomical constellations.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 宿 with a roof and a hundred underneath, what primary idea of staying somewhere comes to mind?
Production: How do you write the character for lodging overnight (sù) using the roof and hundred components?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

Search theme
Accent preference

Results are live YouTube search — accents and levels aren't verified.

宿sùlodge for the night, old, former
Speed:
Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...
0 / 0
Watch on YouTubeMore Results on YouTube