手 shǒu — hand · English

手

shǒu

hand

At a glance · 手

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文象手的五指之形，本义为手。小篆作「手」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为人体上肢前端。

Structure

象形字，甲骨文象手形。

At a glance

Pinyinshǒu

Radical手

Strokes4

UnicodeU+624B

Character type象形

Theme人体

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English hand The hand, the part used to grasp.

Français main La main, partie pour saisir.

Español mano La mano, parte para asir.

العربية يد اليد، العضو للقبض.

Русский рука Рука, орган для захвата.

Common words

手shǒuhand
手机shǒu jīphone

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