艘 (sōu) - A measure word for boats, ships, and other & also used for spacecraft.

艘Tone 1

sōu ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

树檀

艘 · sōu

A measure word for boats, ships, and other vessels;

also used for spacecraft.

A measure word for boats, ships, and otheralso used for spacecraft.

Usage highlights

One shipLarge vesselWarshipSailboatSpacecraftYacht

Synonyms

  • 条— measure word for long, narrow objects including some boats
  • 只— general measure word sometimes used for small boats

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • There is one ship in the harbor (一艘船).
  • They built a large vessel (一艘大船).
  • The navy has many warships (许多艘军舰).
  • A spacecraft was launched (一艘宇宙飞船).

Collocations

  • One ship(一艘船)
  • Large vessel(一艘大船)
  • Warship(一艘军舰)
  • Sailboat(一艘帆船)
  • Spacecraft(一艘宇宙飞船)
  • Yacht(一艘游艇)

Idioms

  • To build a boat for crossing the river(刻舟求剑 - idiom about futility, though not directly using 艘)
  • To launch a thousand ships(Not a direct idiom, but illustrative of measure word use)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Reflects China's long history of naval exploration, trade, and riverine culture.
  • Its modern usage extends to spacecraft, showing linguistic adaptation to new technology.

FAQ