How to Write 受 (shòu) — Meaning “to receive; to accept; to suffer”

Imagine a hand (爫) holding a lid (冖) and another hand (又) catching it – this represents receiving an object. You can also think of the pinyin 'shòu' as sounding like 'show', so you show your hands to receive something. The bottom part 又 looks like a hand ready to accept what is given.

Write the top hand (爫) with a left stroke then two dots, then draw the cover (冖) as a vertical stroke followed by a horizontal turn. Finally, write the bottom hand (又) with a horizontal leftward stroke and a rightward falling stroke. A common mistake is making the cover too wide; keep it narrow so the two hands are balanced above and below.

受 has a hand (爫) over a cover (冖) and another hand (又) below, while 叔 has the top part 尗 (like a bean or an old character) and a hand (又) beneath. 叒 is rare and is made of three small '又' characters stacked. Remember that 受 is about receiving, 叔 means uncle, and 叒 is an ancient word for 'to follow'.

受 is very common in everyday words like 接受 (jiēshòu, to accept), 受伤 (shòushāng, to be injured), and 受欢迎 (shòu huānyíng, popular). It often describes receiving something positive (like a gift) or negative (like suffering). For example, 受不了 (shòu bù liǎo) means 'can't stand it' – showing how 受 expresses an experience one undergoes.

Common words containing 受 include: 受欢迎 (shòu huān yíng) — popular or well-received; 接受 (jiē shòu) — to accept; 受伤 (shòu shāng) — to be injured; to be wounded.