手
shǒu/ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴/
The English word "hand" is translated into Chinese as 手 (shǒu).
Meaning: part of the fore limb (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 手 | shǒu | /ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /ʂɤʊ̯ɻʷ²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA, 手兒 / 手儿) |
|
| 手 | chhiú | /t͡sʰiu⁵⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Nan'an, Hui'an, Zhangpu, Changtai, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese, Yongchun, Longyan) /t͡sʰiu²¹/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Nan'an, Hui'an, Zhangpu, Changtai, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese, Yongchun, Longyan, Longyan) |
Hokkien |
The term refers to the part of the fore limb.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the word sau (手) is commonly used for hand. In Hokkien, the word is chhiú (手) and in Dungan, the word is šu.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 手 is shǒu.
Did you know?
- The word for 'hand' is part of the term 手段, which translates literally as 'hand method' but is commonly used to mean 'shrewd tactics' or 'trickery'.
- In Chinese, the concept of 'hand' is often used in compound words to describe a person's skill or role, such as 高手 for an 'expert' or 'master'.
- The character 手 is a pictogram that visually represents a human hand, with the top stroke depicting a bent middle finger and the horizontal strokes representing the other fingers.
Examples in context
- 汤姆挥手了。Tom waved his hand.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 手 in the context of waving.Tatoeba #5102356 by mirrorvan, translation #6663180 by CK
- 我手受傷了。I hurt my hand.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 手 when describing an injury.Tatoeba #13867435 by LeviHighway, translation #12089330 by CK
- 他緊握她的手。He held her hand in a firm clasp.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 手 when describing holding hands.Tatoeba #897440 by egg0073, translation #897439 by sundown
- 我摔伤了手。I injured my hand.
- 请把手放在桌子上。Please put your hand on the table.
- 您的手真巧！Your hands are skillful!
- 他抓着我手不放。He held onto my hand and wouldn't let go.
- 我们牵着手走吧。Let's hold hands and walk together.
- 102 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are sitting in a cafe.
- 俊杰 Junjie你的手很冷。Nǐ de shǒu hěn lěng.Your hand is very cold.
- 雨婷 Yuting是的，我需要一杯熱咖啡。Shì de, wǒ xūyào yī bēi rè kāfēi.Yes, I need a cup of hot coffee.
- 俊杰 Junjie那我買一杯給你吧。Nà wǒ mǎi yī bēi gěi nǐ ba.Then let me buy one for you.
- 雨婷 Yuting謝謝你，俊杰。Xièxiè nǐ, Jùnjié.Thank you, Junjie.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hand” translations and entries 手, 手, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
