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hand

shǒu
4 strokes · 手 (hand radical) · HSK 1

Where 手 comes from

手 is a picture of a hand — the lines were once five fingers and a wrist, fanned out. When it appears on the left of other characters it squishes into 扌 (the 'hand radical'), which you met in 找 (to look for) — and it marks hundreds of doing-words.

手 in Chinese culture

手 is the hand, and it's everywhere in daily words — most of all 手机 (shǒujī, 'hand-machine') = mobile phone, the object glued to every modern Chinese hand. 手 also means a skilled person: 高手 (a master/expert, 'high hand', with 高), 新手 (a beginner/newbie, 'new hand', with 新), 选手 (a contestant). 左手/右手 are left/right hand. From the body part grew a whole vocabulary of skill — your 'hand' at something is how good you are.

Example

手机 shǒujī — mobile phone

这是我的手机。
Zhè shì wǒ de shǒujī.
This is my phone.

How to remember it

Five fingers and a wrist — a HAND.

手机 ('hand-machine') is the mobile phone. 手 also rates skill: 高手 (a master, 'high hand'), 新手 (a newbie, 'new hand'). Your 'hand' is how good you are.

Same sound, different tones

1st shōu
to receive
3rd shǒu
hand
4th shòu
thin

Words unlocked by 手

手机 shǒujī
mobile phone
高手 gāoshǒu
an expert / master
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