枢 (shū) is a Chinese character meaning “pivot”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 区 (area, district), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “pivot, hub”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 区
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（木 4 画 + 区 4 画 = 枢 8 画）
Memory aid
A wooden post (木) planted in one fixed zone (区) — it never moves, and the whole door swings on it. That is a pivot, a hinge, a hub.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 枢纽shū niǔhub; pivot; key link枢 = shū
- 中枢zhōng shūcenter; central nervous system; nerve center枢 = shū
Go deeper
All readings
pivot, hub
pivot; hinge; hub; the central controlling part of something
门的转轴；引申为事物最关键、起控制作用的中心部分。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 枢纽shū niǔhub; pivot; key link枢 = shū
- 中枢zhōng shūcenter; central nervous system; nerve center枢 = shū
Sound component
区 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 枢 mean?
枢 (shū) means pivot; hinge; hub; the central controlling part of something.
How do you pronounce 枢?
It is pronounced shū.
What parts is 枢 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 区 (area, district), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（木 4 画 + 区 4 画 = 枢 8 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 枢 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 枢?
木. 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 枢?
Common ones are 枢纽 and 中枢. The reading of 枢 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.