左手
左left手hand=left hand
手
手 (shǒu) Chinese Character: hand
Wrist down, fingers up — that's a hand!
Practice 手 in the interactive lessonChinese character story: The Working Hand
手 is a hand — a wrist at the bottom, fingers spreading at the top. The ancient drawn hand reached, grabbed, made, built. It is one of the most useful characters: with hands we do everything, from writing 人 to planting 木.
🧩 Word buildingSee what every part contributes
Chinese words often combine short meaning clues. Fixed expressions are clearly marked so you do not translate them too literally.
手机
手hand or handheld机device=mobile phone
Chinese character origin and etymology
手 is documented as a basic character form. Its earlier written forms gradually became the regular-script shape used today.
In modern simplified Chinese, 手 is written with 4 strokes. This lesson separates documented shape history from the memory story so learners do not mistake a mnemonic for a historical claim. 手 works as one complete form rather than a puzzle made from smaller modern components. Learning its overall silhouette is useful because the same shape may later appear inside more complex characters.
Chinese character stroke order and structure
手 is written with 4 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.
- 手 — hand — wrist with spreading fingers
Common usage and sentence patterns
The examples below show 手 in complete beginner-friendly sentences. Read each sentence aloud, notice where the character appears, and then replace one noun or number to create a new sentence of your own.
我的手机在桌子上。
My phone is on the table.
吃饭前要洗手。
Wash your hands before eating.
我紧张时手心会出汗。
My palms sweat when I am nervous.
Learning tips for 手
Learn the reading as one unit: shǒu, with the third tone: falling then rising. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “hand,” and write the 4 strokes from memory.
Because 手 is a basic form, focus on its proportions and stroke direction. Compare it with 拿 (ná, hold — hand (手) over (合)); 打 (dǎ, hit — hand (扌) + ding (丁)); 看 (kàn, look — hand (手) over eye (目)). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.
Quick review checklist
- Can you recognize 手 without pinyin?
- Can you say shǒu with the correct tone and explain “hand”?
- Can you write all 4 strokes in order?
- Can you use 手 in one short sentence?
Related characters
Continue learning Chinese characters
Use the Chinese radicals and components guide to understand reusable parts, the stroke order guide to improve handwriting, and the HSK 1 character overview to choose your next beginner lesson.
Sources and editorial note
HanziStory separates documented character history from modern memory stories. Historical-form images are shown only when a matching source file is available; missing stages are skipped rather than invented. Stroke practice uses HanziWriter data.
Last updated: August 12, 2026. Read our sources, editorial method, and correction policy.