How to Write 姝 (shū) — Meaning “Beautiful woman”

Picture a woman (女) dressed in red (朱, which means red) — she is striking and beautiful. This visual of a 'woman in red' helps associate the character with a beautiful woman.

Keep the left radical 女 narrow and slightly tilted, and the right part 朱 balanced with equal width. A common mistake is making the horizontal stroke in 朱 too long, which throws off the proportion. Write the top horizontal of 朱 shorter than the bottom one.

妊 (rèn) means 'pregnant' and uses 壬 (rén) instead of 朱; 妍 (yán) also means 'beautiful' but uses a different right component (幵 or 开). While 姝 suggests quiet, refined beauty, 妍 often implies bright, vivid beauty. Visually, 姝 has 朱, 妊 has 壬, and 妍 has 幵.

姝 is a classical, literary character rarely used in everyday conversation. It appears in elegant names (e.g., 静姝 from ancient poetry) and in formal writing to describe a serene, beautiful woman. You might encounter it in classical literature or as part of a given name.

Common words containing 姝 include: 静姝 (jìng shū) — Quiet and beautiful; 姝丽 (shū lì) — Beautiful; pretty; 姝好 (shū hǎo) — Beautiful and good.