HanziGuru.羞 · xiū
羞
xiū[xiu1]Tone 1

shy, ashamed, shame

HSK 7
Guru Deep Dive

English · shy, ashamed, shame

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Left-right
Strokes:10
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (羊 without its bottom tail, or specifically 𦍌/龹 shape) should be compact, leaving enough horizontal breathing room for the right side component (丑).
1. Meaning

shy, bashful, or feeling shame

delicacies or gourmet food (historical or variant usage)
Adjective / VerbNeutral#emotions#personality#psychology
Sample Usage
  • 她害羞得脸都红了。
    Tā hàixiū de liǎn dōu hóng le.
    She was so shy that her face turned red.
  • 知耻近乎勇，做错了事要觉得羞耻。
    Zhī chǐ jìnhū yǒng, zuò cuò le shì yào juéde xiūchǐ.
    Knowing shame is close to bravery; when you do something wrong, you should feel ashamed.
2. Sound
/[ɕi̯ou̯⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
羞
xiūxiu1
++
¯(55)
=xiū
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
xiu
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "u" per the side-by-side rule (in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Say it like:“shee-oh”Close approximationTone pitch cue:flat, high
Key difference: Alveolo-palatal [ɕ] onset gliding into -oh in one rapid syllable.
Initial Consonant
x
Type: Alveolo-Palatal Fricative
Sounds like: sh sound pronounced with the tongue blade near the hard palate
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Hissing friction with lips stretched wide in a smile.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Front of the tongue raised close to the hard palate, teeth close together, air hissing softly through.
Final Rhyme
iu
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: rhymes with 'ee-oh' or 'yo' in yoga
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yo'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: iu is short for iou, with the middle 'o' suppressed in pronunciation.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays flat and high, similar to the musical pitch you use when singing a sustained note at the top of your normal speaking voice.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing it with xiǔ or xiú if the tone is not held strictly high and flat.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A high, flat drone held at the very top of your vocal range, like a singing note that never dips or rises.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (羊 without its bottom tail, or specifically 𦍌/龹 shape) should be compact, leaving enough horizontal breathing room for the right side component (丑).

4. Components

Radical 羊 · Sheep radical (sheep)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 羊 (indicates a gentle, timid animal nature associated with shyness)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 丑 (original sound: chǒu / xiū sound connection historically)

A sheep (羊) standing next to someone making a clumsy, awkward face or gesture (丑) because it feels embarrassed and shy.

  • 𦍌 Variant top part of sheep radical
  • 丑 Clown / disgraceful character part representing awkwardness
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined 𦍌 (sheep related) and 丑 (signifying ugliness or shame/awkwardness), picturing a person or creature feeling inferior, awkward, or abashed.

Semantic Evolution: From feeling awkward or unsightly, it shifted to the general psychological feeling of shame, bashfulness, or shyness.

  • In ancient texts, 羞 also referred to delicious food offerings because fine meats (like mutton from 羊) were presented at feasts.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: シュウ (shū) / Kun: Hazu.karu / hazu.kashii
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Picture a cute little SHEEP (羊) standing on stage next to a funny CLOWN (丑), turning bright red because it is too SHY (羞) to perform!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
馐
xiūdelicacies+ 饣 (food)
饈
+ 飠 (food)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
差(chà)
差 means deficient or poor, featuring different top and bottom components compared to the sheep/clown structure of 羞.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
第一次上台演讲，她觉得非常[___]。
Clue: xiū
Common Learner Pitfall

Mistaking the bottom component 丑 for other vertical components, or mispronouncing the high level tone 1 as a dipping tone 3.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the character 羞 mean when you see it in 害羞 (hàixiū)?
Production: How do you write the character for 'shy' or 'ashamed' (xiū) using its sheep and awkward components?
Real-World Video Context

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

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