绪 (xù) is a Chinese character meaning “the end of a thread”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 者 ("the one who"; a person or thing (as a suffix)), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “thread; mood”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
纟 + 者
Left–right structure
- 纟 silk; thread (left-side form) · sī meaning
- 者 "the one who"; a person or thing (as a suffix) · zhě sound
Structure from: 说文解字（緒，絲耑也。从糸者聲）；简化字左部为绞丝旁「纟」
Memory aid
Silk thread (纟) beside 者: picture pulling the loose end of a thread to start unwinding it — the first thread of a matter, and the threads of your mood.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 情绪qíng xùmood; emotions; state of mind绪 = xù
- 头绪tóu xùmain threads of a matter; clue; sense of where to begin绪 = xù
Go deeper
All readings
thread; mood
the end of a thread; beginning, clue (of a matter); train of thought; mood, state of mind
丝的头。引申为事情的开端、头绪，也指思绪、心情。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 情绪qíng xùmood; emotions; state of mind绪 = xù
- 头绪tóu xùmain threads of a matter; clue; sense of where to begin绪 = xù
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 绪 mean?
绪 (xù) means the end of a thread; beginning, clue (of a matter); train of thought; mood, state of mind.
How do you pronounce 绪?
It is pronounced xù.
What parts is 绪 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 者 ("the one who"; a person or thing (as a suffix)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字（緒，絲耑也。从糸者聲）；简化字左部为绞丝旁「纟」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 绪 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 绪?
纟. 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 绪?
Common ones are 情绪 and 头绪. The reading of 绪 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.