须 (xū) is a Chinese character meaning “must”. It is written from 彡 (three slanting strokes (bristles, hair, light or pattern)) and 页 (head; page, leaf (of a book)), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “must; beard”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
彡 + 页
Left–right structure
- 彡 three slanting strokes (bristles, hair, light or pattern) · shān meaning
- 页 head; page, leaf (of a book) · yè meaning
Structure from: 说文解字: 須，面毛也。从頁从彡；并经 hanzi-writer-data 现代字形笔画核验（须 9 画 = 左侧 3 画「彡」+ 右侧 6 画「页」）。部首依 Unicode CJKRadicals 第 181 部「頁」。
Memory aid
A head (页) with three strands (彡) trailing off its chin. Both parts are really in this character: a beard is the one thing a grown man must grow.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 必须bì xūmust; have to须 = xū
- 胡须hú xūbeard; whiskers; facial hair须 = xū
- 剃须刀tì xū dāorazor; shaver须 = xū
Go deeper
All readings
must
must; have to; to need; also: beard, whiskers, or anything whisker-like
一定要，不可缺少；又指胡子，以及像胡子一样细长的东西。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 必须bì xūmust; have to须 = xū
- 胡须hú xūbeard; whiskers; facial hair须 = xū
- 剃须刀tì xū dāorazor; shaver须 = xū
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 须 mean?
须 (xū) means must; have to; to need; also: beard, whiskers, or anything whisker-like.
How do you pronounce 须?
It is pronounced xū.
What parts is 须 made of?
彡 (three slanting strokes (bristles, hair, light or pattern)) and 页 (head; page, leaf (of a book)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 須，面毛也。从頁从彡；并经 hanzi-writer-data 现代字形笔画核验（须 9 画 = 左侧 3 画「彡」+ 右侧 6 画「页」）。部首依 Unicode CJKRadicals 第 181 部「頁」。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 须 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 须?
页. 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 须?
Common ones are 必须 and 胡须. The reading of 须 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.