淑 (shū) is a Chinese character meaning “fair”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 叔 (uncle (father's younger brother)), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “fair; virtuous”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 叔
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·水部：淑，清湛也。从水叔聲
Memory aid
Water (氵) beside Uncle (叔, shū): picture a kind uncle whose heart is as clear as still water — gentle and good. 叔 also gives the sound shū.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 淑女shū nǚa fair and virtuous lady; a lady淑 = shū
- 贤淑xián shū(of a woman) virtuous and gentle淑 = shū
Go deeper
All readings
fair; virtuous
fair; kind; virtuous (especially of a woman)
善良，美好（多用于女子）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 淑女shū nǚa fair and virtuous lady; a lady淑 = shū
- 贤淑xián shū(of a woman) virtuous and gentle淑 = shū
Sound component
叔 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 淑 mean?
淑 (shū) means fair; kind; virtuous (especially of a woman).
How do you pronounce 淑?
It is pronounced shū.
What parts is 淑 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 叔 (uncle (father's younger brother)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·水部：淑，清湛也。从水叔聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 淑 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 淑?
氵. 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 淑?
Common ones are 淑女 and 贤淑. The reading of 淑 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.