ENESFRDE中文

Characters, words, pinyin or English

艘 sōu measure word for ships

How to remember 艘: 舟 boat + 叟 old man = measure word for ships. Sitting in his little boat, the old man counts the cargo ships in the harbour and teaches his grandson the measure word for ships.

  • HSK 6
  • 15 strokes
  • Radical 舟

Component breakdown

艘 = 舟 boat + 叟 old man

  • 舟 boat
  • 叟 old man
The Gushi story

Sitting in his little boat, the old man counts the cargo ships in the harbour and teaches his grandson the measure word for ships.

How it is used

  • The measure word for ships/vessels - 一艘船 (yì sōu chuán) a ship, 一艘军舰 a warship, 一艘潜艇 a submarine.
  • Used for large watercraft; small boats can take 只 (zhī), and 艘 is the standard for ships.
  • Pure classifier - no standalone meaning.
  • 两艘航母 (liǎng sōu hángmǔ) = two aircraft carriers.