殊 (shū) is a Chinese character meaning “different”. It is written from 歹 (bad; evil) and 朱 (vermilion; bright red), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “different; special”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
歹 + 朱
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·歺部：殊，死也。从歺朱聲
Memory aid
The bad-omen part (歹) next to bright red (朱): a red mark on a grim sign makes it stand out from all the rest — something special and different. The red half also hints at the sound: zhū → shū.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 特殊tè shūspecial; particular; unusual殊 = shū
- 悬殊xuán shūwidely different; a huge gap (in strength, size, etc.)殊 = shū
Go deeper
All readings
different; special
different; special; distinct; extremely
不同；特别；很，极。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 特殊tè shūspecial; particular; unusual殊 = shū
- 悬殊xuán shūwidely different; a huge gap (in strength, size, etc.)殊 = shū
Sound component
朱 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 殊 mean?
殊 (shū) means different; special; distinct; extremely.
How do you pronounce 殊?
It is pronounced shū.
What parts is 殊 made of?
歹 (bad; evil) and 朱 (vermilion; bright red), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·歺部：殊，死也。从歺朱聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 殊 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 殊?
歹. 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 殊?
Common ones are 特殊 and 悬殊. The reading of 殊 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.