竖 (shù) is a Chinese character meaning “vertical”. It is written from 臤 (firm; hard — a hand (又) holding fast) and 立 (to stand; upright), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “vertical; standing straight up”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
臤 + 立
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代简化字形按 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：前四笔为简化的「臤」（臣缩写成两竖 + 又，与坚/贤同部），后五笔为「立」
Memory aid
The same squeezed top as in 坚 (臤) pressing down from above, and under it something stands (立) — held straight up: vertical.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 竖立shù lìto stand upright; to erect; to set up vertically竖 = shù
- 竖直shù zhívertical; straight up and down竖 = shù
Go deeper
All readings
vertical; upright
vertical; upright; to stand something on end; a vertical stroke in a Chinese character
上下方向的；与水平面垂直的。也指把东西直立起来，或汉字的竖笔画。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 竖立shù lìto stand upright; to erect; to set up vertically竖 = shù
- 竖直shù zhívertical; straight up and down竖 = shù
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 竖 mean?
竖 (shù) means vertical; upright; to stand something on end; a vertical stroke in a Chinese character.
How do you pronounce 竖?
It is pronounced shù.
What parts is 竖 made of?
臤 (firm; hard — a hand (又) holding fast) and 立 (to stand; upright), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形按 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：前四笔为简化的「臤」（臣缩写成两竖 + 又，与坚/贤同部），后五笔为「立」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 竖 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 竖?
立. 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 竖?
Common ones are 竖立 and 竖直. The reading of 竖 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.