How is 首 pronounced?

首 is pronounced “shǒu” in pinyin.

What HSK level is 首?

首 belongs to HSK 5 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

How do you write 首?

Follow the stroke-order animation above; 首 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

HSK 5numeralmeasure word

首

shǒu

首 (shǒu) means “head; chief; first (occasion, thing etc); classifier for poems, songs etc”. It is an HSK 5 Chinese character in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.

Stroke order

Practice writingUnlock HSK 5 required

Example

这件事我首先要考虑清楚。

Zhè jiàn shì wǒ shǒuxiān yào kǎolǜ qīngchu.

I must first think this matter through clearly.

Words containing 首

首都shǒu dūcapital (city)首先shǒu xiānfirst (of all); in the first place 首饰shǒu shìjewelry; head ornament 首要shǒu yàothe most important; of chief importance 元首yuán shǒuhead of state 首席shǒu xíchief (representative, correspondent etc)首相shǒu xiàngprime minister (of Japan or UK etc)首脑shǒu nǎohead (of state); summit (meeting); leader 首次shǒu cìfirst; first time; for the first time

More HSK 5 vocabulary

HSK 5 →

哎āihey!; (interjection used to attract attention or to express surprise or disapprobation)唉āiinterjection or grunt of agreement or recognition (e.g. yes, it's me!); to sigh 爱护ài hùto cherish; to treasure; to take care of; to love and protect 爱惜ài xīto cherish; to treasure; to use sparingly 爱心ài xīncompassion; kindness; care for others; love; charity (bazaar, golf day etc); heart (the symbol ♥)安慰ān wèito comfort; to console 安装ān zhuāngto install; to erect; to fix; to mount; installation 岸ànvariant of 岸暗ànvariant of 暗熬夜áo yèto stay up late or all night 把握bǎ wòto grasp (also fig.); to seize; to hold; assurance; certainty; sure (of the outcome)摆bǎito arrange; to exhibit; to move to and fro; a pendulum

Frequently asked questions

What does 首 mean?: 首 (shǒu) means “head; chief; first (occasion, thing etc); classifier for poems, songs etc”. It is an HSK 5 word.
How is 首 pronounced?: 首 is pronounced “shǒu” in pinyin.
What HSK level is 首?: 首 belongs to HSK 5 in the HSK 3.0 vocabulary.
How do you write 首?: Follow the stroke-order animation above; 首 is written using standard stroke order. Practice it in the writing trainer.

Updated: 2026-05-27