树 (shù) is a Chinese character meaning “tree”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 对 (correct; to face; pair), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “tree”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 对
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：樹，生植之緫名。从木尌聲（简化字「树」以「对」替换「尌」，「对」不表音；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–4 为 木，笔画 5–9 与 对 逐笔对应）
Memory aid
Wood 木 on the left, 对 on the right. 对 means "a pair, facing each other" — picture two trees planted facing one another along a road. The wood tells you what it is; 对 is just the shape you have to remember.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 树木shù mùtrees树 = shù
- 树叶shù yèleaf (of a tree); tree leaves树 = shù
- 杉树shān shùfir tree; China fir树 = shù
- 松树sōng shùpine tree树 = shù
- 枣树zǎo shùjujube tree树 = shù
- 枫树fēng shùmaple tree树 = shù
- 树枝shù zhītree branch; twig树 = shù
- 独树一帜dú shù yī zhìto fly one's own banner; to have a distinctive style of one's own树 = shùspoken asdú shù yí zhì
- 柏树bǎi shùcypress tree树 = shù
- 树根shù gēnroot of a tree树 = shù
- 树梢shùshāotreetop; the tip of a tree树 = shù
- 树荫shù yīnthe shade of a tree树 = shù
- 栽树zāi shùto plant trees树 = shù
- 桑树sāng shùmulberry tree树 = shù
- 桦树huà shùbirch tree树 = shù
- 梨树lí shùpear tree树 = shù
- 椰树yē shùcoconut tree树 = shù
- 种树zhòng shùto plant trees树 = shù
Go deeper
All readings
tree
tree; to plant; to cultivate; to set up, to establish
木本植物的总称；也表示种植、培养，或建立、树立。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 树木shù mùtrees树 = shù
- 树叶shù yèleaf (of a tree); tree leaves树 = shù
- 杉树shān shùfir tree; China fir树 = shù
- 松树sōng shùpine tree树 = shù
- 枣树zǎo shùjujube tree树 = shù
- 枫树fēng shùmaple tree树 = shù
- 树枝shù zhītree branch; twig树 = shù
- 独树一帜dú shù yī zhìto fly one's own banner; to have a distinctive style of one's own树 = shùspoken asdú shù yí zhì
- 柏树bǎi shùcypress tree树 = shù
- 树根shù gēnroot of a tree树 = shù
- 树梢shùshāotreetop; the tip of a tree树 = shù
- 树荫shù yīnthe shade of a tree树 = shù
- 栽树zāi shùto plant trees树 = shù
- 桑树sāng shùmulberry tree树 = shù
- 桦树huà shùbirch tree树 = shù
- 梨树lí shùpear tree树 = shù
- 椰树yē shùcoconut tree树 = shù
- 种树zhòng shùto plant trees树 = shù
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 树 mean?
树 (shù) means tree; to plant; to cultivate; to set up, to establish.
How do you pronounce 树?
It is pronounced shù.
What parts is 树 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 对 (correct; to face; pair), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：樹，生植之緫名。从木尌聲（简化字「树」以「对」替换「尌」，「对」不表音；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–4 为 木，笔画 5–9 与 对 逐笔对应）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 树 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 树?
木. 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 树?
Common ones are 树木 and 树叶. The reading of 树 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.