素 (sù) is a Chinese character meaning “plain”. It is written from 龶 (three horizontal strokes crossed by a short vertical that stops at the last stroke) and 糸 (silk; a twisted bundle of fine threads), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “plain; element”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
龶 + 糸
Top–bottom structure
- 龶 three horizontal strokes crossed by a short vertical that stops at the last stroke unknown
- 糸 silk; a twisted bundle of fine threads · mì unknown
Structure from: modern glyph split verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes (0–3 龶, 4–9 糸)
Memory aid
Silk threads (糸) hang under a plain top (龶) with nothing added — undyed, simple silk: plain.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 因素yīn sùfactor; element素 = sù
- 朴素pǔ sùsimple and plain素 = sù
- 荤素hūn sùmeat and vegetarian food (taken together)素 = sù
- 胰岛素yí dǎo sùinsulin素 = sù
Go deeper
All readings
plain; basic element; vegetarian
plain; simple; unadorned; basic element; vegetarian (food); usually
本色的、不加装饰的；构成事物的基本成分；不含肉的饭菜；向来。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 因素yīn sùfactor; element素 = sù
- 朴素pǔ sùsimple and plain素 = sù
- 荤素hūn sùmeat and vegetarian food (taken together)素 = sù
- 胰岛素yí dǎo sùinsulin素 = sù
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 素 mean?
素 (sù) means plain; simple; unadorned; basic element; vegetarian (food); usually.
How do you pronounce 素?
It is pronounced sù.
What parts is 素 made of?
龶 (three horizontal strokes crossed by a short vertical that stops at the last stroke) and 糸 (silk; a twisted bundle of fine threads), one above the other. The recorded source is: modern glyph split verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes (0–3 龶, 4–9 糸). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 素 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 素?
糸. 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 素?
Common ones are 因素, 朴素, 荤素. The reading of 素 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.