序 (xù) is a Chinese character meaning “order”. It is written from 广 (wide; dotted cliff radical) and 予 (to give; to grant), one enclosing the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “order; sequence”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
广 + 予
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 说文解字·广部：序，東西牆也。从广予聲
Memory aid
Under the roof (广), things are handed out (予) one at a time — nobody grabs, everyone waits their turn. That is 序: order, sequence.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 顺序shùn xùorder; sequence序 = xù
- 程序chéng xùprocedure; program序 = xù
- 秩序zhì xùorder; orderliness序 = xù
Go deeper
All readings
order; sequence
order; sequence; to arrange in order; preface
排列的先后次第；也指写在正文前面的引言。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 顺序shùn xùorder; sequence序 = xù
- 程序chéng xùprocedure; program序 = xù
- 秩序zhì xùorder; orderliness序 = xù
Origin
The Shuowen Jiezi analyses 序 as "from 广 (building), with 予 giving the sound". 广 is the side wall of a house — the original sense was the east and west walls — and 予 (yǔ) supplied the reading, which has since shifted to xù.
Source: 说文解字·广部：序，東西牆也。从广予聲
Sound component
予 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 序 mean?
序 (xù) means order; sequence; to arrange in order; preface.
How do you pronounce 序?
It is pronounced xù.
What parts is 序 made of?
广 (wide; dotted cliff radical) and 予 (to give; to grant), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·广部：序，東西牆也。从广予聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 序 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 序?
广. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 序?
Common ones are 顺序 and 程序. The reading of 序 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.