What does 树 mean in Chinese?

树 (shù) means "tree" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 3.

How do you write 树?

树 is written with 9 strokes, starting from the 木 (tree) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 树?

The radical of 树 is 木 (tree, Kangxi radical #75). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 本, 来, 机, 果.

How many strokes does 树 have?

The Chinese character 树 has 9 strokes.

What HSK level is 树?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 树 is a character to recognise at HSK 3 and to write by hand at HSK 3.

树 (shù): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

树

shù

tree

HSK 3 character 9 strokes Radical: 木 (tree)

Quick Answer

树 (shù) means "tree" with 9 strokes, radical 木 (tree), HSK 3 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 树 →Animated stroke-order for 树 →

Pronunciation

shù

Meaning

Primary: tree

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

树 is a phono-semantic compound, not a pictograph. The traditional form 樹 combines 木 (tree, semantic) with 尌 (phonetic, also carrying a sense of 'standing upright'). 尌 itself shows a hand (寸) planting or setting up a drum-like object, which gave 樹 its older verbal meaning of 'to plant, to set upright'.

Form evolution

Bronze and seal forms of 樹 are already assembled as 木 + 尌, with 尌 written as a clearly separate component containing 壴 (drum) and 寸 (hand). Clerical script tightened the proportions but kept the structure. The simplified form 树 replaces the complex right side with 对(duì-like) 又, a cursive-derived shorthand that preserves none of the original phonetic logic.

How the meaning evolved

Early texts use 樹 as a verb meaning 'to plant' or 'to establish', as in 十年树木，百年树人 ('ten years to grow a tree, a hundred to cultivate a person'). The noun sense 'tree' grew out of the verb by about the Han dynasty and eventually eclipsed it in everyday speech, though the verbal sense survives in set phrases and classical registers.

Cultural note

The idiom 十年树木，百年树人 from 管子 is still quoted constantly in education contexts and uses 树 in its original verbal sense of 'cultivate'. Learners who only know 树 as the noun 'tree' are often puzzled by 树立 (to establish) until they meet this older meaning.