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sōu
艘
⛵Intermediate
HSK 6
📕 Advanced — HSK 5-6 vocabulary
Meaning
Classifier for boats and ships.
🏮 Cultural Story
中文 Chinese
"艘"专用于水上交通工具。"一艘船"、"两艘军舰"、"一艘游艇"——船无论大小都用"艘"。这个字带"舟"(boat)字旁，一看就知道和水有关。为什么不用"只"或"条"？因为"艘"专门强调船只作为交通工具的功能属性（可航行、载人）。潜水艇也用"艘"——它在水下也是"艘"！
English
**艘 (sōu)** = water vessels only. Boat, warship, yacht — any ship regardless of size uses 艘. Contains 舟 (boat) radical. Emphasizes FUNCTIONAL aspect over physical shape. Submarines too!
🎯 艘 = boat/ship. Water vehicle specialist!
💡 Memory Tip
艘 is exclusively for water vessels. Boat = 艘!
Examples
一艘船
yī sōu chuán
one boat
两艘军舰
liǎng sōu jūn jiàn
two warships
Common Nouns Used With
船chuánboat / ship
军舰jūn jiànwarship
游艇yóu tǐngyacht
潜艇qián tǐngsubmarine
Video Examples
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⛵HSK 6
艘
sōu
Classifier for boats and ships.
一艘船
yī sōu chuán
one boat
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chinesemeasurewords.com