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Chinese name character

Chinese name character 書, simplified 书

shū

Simplified: 书

The character 書 (Mandarin shū) appears in 2 names and 2 syllables in this reference and is spelled Shu, Cher and Soo in Malaysia. Recorded meanings include “book; letter; writing”.

Names and syllables
4
Malaysian spellings
3
Strokes
10
Attested in records
2

4 names and syllables in this reference have 書 as one of their character options. For 2 of them, 書 is attested in records of real names; the rest are possible characters for that spelling.

Meanings of 書: the recorded options

  • book; letter; writing

    in 4 character options · attested

Unihan definition: book, letter, document; writings

What a name means depends on the characters the family chose and how they combine; these are options, not one definite meaning.

Malaysian spellings of 書

書 Shu Cantonese · Mandarin Cher Hokkien Soo Hokkien
書 yields 3 spellings in our records. The label under each spelling is the romanization it follows, not the bearer’s dialect.
SpellingRomanizationattested in name records
ShuCantonese · Mandarinattested in name records
CherHokkienattested in name records
SooHokkienpossible

Readings of 書 by dialect

DialectReadingMalaysian spelling
HokkienPe̍h-ōe-jī su, chir Cher, Soo
CantoneseJyutping syu1 Shu
MandarinHanyu Pinyin shū Shu

Readings from the character options in our name records; Unihan gives Mandarin shū and Cantonese syu1.

2 names that can be written with 書

2 syllables that can stand for 書

Sources

  1. Wiktionary: 書 · en.wiktionary.org · meaning
  2. MDBG: 書 · mdbg.net · meaning
  3. Unicode Unihan Database: U+66F8 · unicode.org · meaning

Readings, meanings and stroke count: the character options in our name records and the Unicode Unihan Database (Unicode License). A spelling describes how a name is written, not anyone’s dialect or background.

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Frequently asked questions

What does 書 mean in a name?

Our records give several meanings for 書, including “book; letter; writing”. What a name actually means depends on the characters the family chose and how they combine.

How is 書 spelled in Malaysia?

In our records 書 is spelled Shu (Cantonese, Mandarin), Cher (Hokkien) and Soo (Hokkien). A spelling follows a dialect’s romanization; it does not show which dialect anyone speaks.

Is every Shu written 書?

Not necessarily. The spelling Shu can also stand for 樹, 舒, 淑. Only the family knows which character was chosen.