长寿
cháng shòu · long-lived; to have a long life
我奶奶很长寿。
My grandmother has a long life.
Chinese character · HSK 5
寿 (shòu) — “longevity / long life”
The simplified character visually resembles an ancient sage: the top horizontal lines are his forehead wrinkles, the sweeping diagonal is his long beard, and the bottom '寸' represents his hand holding a walking cane.
Memory cue
Three wrinkles of wisdom, a long sweeping beard, and a hand (寸) holding a cane form the picture of longevity (寿).
Video mnemonic
Watch 寿 in motion
See the visual story unfold, then connect it to the words and sentences below.
Common ways to use 寿
寿 directly conveys long life in 长寿 and lifespan in 寿命, while in 寿司 it represents sound as part of a borrowed food word.
寿命
shòu mìng · lifespan; lifetime
这种电池的寿命很长。
This kind of battery has a long lifespan.
寿司
shòu sī · sushi
我们晚上去吃寿司吧。
Let's go eat sushi tonight.
Usage note: Learn 寿司 as one borrowed food word. Here 寿 helps represent the sound rather than its usual long-life meaning.
Inside the character
- 寸 (hand / measure) — meaning component. A compact form often tied to hand action, control, or simplification.
- 丰 (abundant / plentiful) — meaning component.
Where 寿 comes from
The traditional form '壽' combined '老' (old) and a complex phonetic element. The simplified '寿' elegantly condenses this into an abstract form that visually resembles a bearded elder measuring (寸) his long life.
Learn 寿 the visual way. InkSeal pairs every HSK 1–6
character with an illustration like this one, Common-use words and sentences,
component breakdowns, etymology, and recall-first review. The first 100
characters are free.
More characters: 屏 (píng, screen / folding screen) · 春 (chūn, spring) · 渡 (dù, to cross (a river / sea)) — or browse the full character library.