How to Write 竖 (shù) — Meaning “Vertical; to set upright”

Picture a vertical line standing tall like a pole, with the left part 立 reminding you of a person standing up. The right side 㐅 looks like two crossed sticks that you set upright in the ground.

Write the left radical 立 first (5 strokes), then the right part 㐅 (top left-to-right stroke, then bottom left-to-right, total 4 strokes). A common mistake is making the right part too wide or forgetting the horizontal stroke connecting the two X-like shapes.

亲 (qīn) means 'parent' or 'dear' and contains a different top component (立 with 木 below), while 竘 (qǔ) is very rare and means 'unbending.' Unlike 竖, neither has the right-side 㐅 that clearly conveys 'vertical.'

竖 is common in geometry for 'vertical line' (竖线) and in daily speech for 'anyway' (横竖). You also see it in 竖立 (to erect) when talking about setting up poles or signs. It is not in HSK but appears in technical and informal contexts.

Common words containing 竖 include: 竖线 (shù xiàn) — Vertical line; 竖立 (shù lì) — To erect; to set upright; 横竖 (héng shù) — anyway; in any case.