梳 (shū) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

梳

shū[shu1]Tone 1

comb

HSK 7

Guru Deep Dive

English · comb

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (木, tree/wood) is narrower and slightly lower, while the right side (𣺼/shū) is wider and carries more complex strokes, requiring careful horizontal alignment.

1. Meaning

to comb hair

a comb (as a noun or bound form)to brush or straighten out

Verb / NounNeutral#grooming#body care#household objects

Sample Usage

她每天早晨都梳头。
tā měitiān zǎochén dōu shūtóu.
She combs her hair every morning.
木梳
mùshū
wooden comb

2. Sound

/[ʂu¹]/Tone: 55

梳

shūshu1

¯(55)

=shū

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

shu

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "u" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Say it like:“shoe”Close approximationTone pitch cue:flat, high

Key difference: Mandarin sh is retroflex [ʂ] (tongue curled back); English 'shoe' is palato-alveolar.

Initial Consonant

Type: Retroflex Fricative

Sounds like: sh (retroflex sibilant sound)

UnaspiratedRetroflex

Airflow Tactile Test: Hollow wind sound through curled tongue channel.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -u vowel group

Sounds like: -oo rhymes with boot/zoo

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oo'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, steady pitch. Think of a high-pitched singing note held flat without rising or falling.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse the retroflex 'sh' with the dental/alveolar 's'. Make sure your tongue is curled backward, not resting flat behind your lower teeth.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Keep your pitch high and steady like a flat line at the top of your vocal range, similar to singing a high note continuously.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes

4. Components

Radical 木 · Wood Radical (tree, wood, wooden material)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 木 (Indicates that traditional combs are made of wood.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 㐬 (original sound: liú/shū phonetic cue for flow or shape)

A wooden (木) tool designed to flow smoothly (㐬) through tangled locks of hair.

木 Wood (material of the comb)
㐬 Phonetic and structural component

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

9· Phonetic Root: 㐬

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from 木 (wood) representing the material of ancient grooming implements and 㐬 providing the sound and general configuration of streaming or aligning teeth.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred specifically to wooden grooming teeth, later generalized to mean any action of combing, smoothing, or organizing.

Combs in ancient China were not only functional hygiene tools but also important hair ornaments made of wood, bone, or jade.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: シュ (shu) / Kun: くし (kushi)

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine taking a piece of WOOD (木) and carving fine, flowing (㐬) teeth into it to create a brand new hair COMB (梳).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

㐬

Phonetic Core (声旁)

流

liúflow+ 氵 (water)

巯

qiúhydrosulfuryl+ 工 (work)

旒

liútassel+ 方 (square)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

疏(shū)

疏 means sparse and lacks the 木 (wood) radical found on the left side of 梳 (comb).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

她每天早上起床后都要[___]头。

Clue: shū

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the retroflex initial 'sh-' with a plain English 's-' or misplacing the wood radical 木 on the right instead of the left.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 梳 mean, and how is it pronounced with tone?

Production: How do you write the Chinese character for 'to comb' (shū), and what radical is on its left?

梳shūcomb

Speed:

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