Fluentide
Fluentide for iOS is out — get the app
HSK 4

首都

capital (city)

nounneutral1 episode
首
shǒu3rd tone
都
dū1st tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
shǒudū
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 4
Strokes
19
Register
neutral
Measure word
个 / 座
In episodes
1

Stroke order for 首都

首都 is written with 19 strokes (首: 9, 都: 10). The animation replays automatically.

What does 首都 mean?

首都 (shǒudū) is a noun meaning 'the capital city of a country' — the seat of national government.

It is built from 首 (head, foremost) and 都 (metropolis, capital), literally 'the head city.' 首都 refers only to a national capital, such as Beijing being 中国的首都 (the capital of China). This is where English speakers stumble: English 'capital' is one word for a national capital, a provincial/state capital, and even financial capital, but Chinese splits these.

A provincial capital is 省会 (shěnghuì), not 首都, and financial capital is 资本 (zīběn). Note also the reading: 都 is pronounced dū here (capital), not the far more common dōu (all/both). 首都 is neutral and used in both speech and writing.

Character by character

首shǒuhead; first; foremost
+
都dūcapital; metropolis
=
首都

Memory hook: 首 (head) + 都 (metropolis) = the 'head city' of a nation — its capital.

Hear 首都 in real episodes

首都 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

Colombia Swore In a New President in a University Arena. The Old One Locked the Barracks and Stayed Home.首都 spoken at natural speedmedium
Browse the full episode library

Example sentences

北京是中国的首都。

Běijīng shì Zhōngguó de shǒudū.

Beijing is the capital of China.

neutral

你知道法国的首都是哪里吗？

Nǐ zhīdào Fǎguó de shǒudū shì nǎlǐ ma?

Do you know what the capital of France is?

spoken

很多人从首都机场出发。

Hěn duō rén cóng shǒudū jīchǎng chūfā.

Many people depart from the capital airport.

neutral

这座城市曾经是这个国家的首都。

Zhè zuò chéngshì céngjīng shì zhège guójiā de shǒudū.

This city was once the capital of this country.

written

Common phrases with 首都

首都机场shǒudū jīchǎngcapital airport
一国的首都yì guó de shǒudūa country's capital
首都北京shǒudū Běijīngthe capital Beijing

Synonyms

京城jīngchéng

京城 is a literary/historical word for the capital, especially of imperial China (often meaning old Beijing). 首都 is the neutral modern term for any country's capital.

Don't confuse 首都 with

省会shěnghuì

省会 is a provincial capital (e.g. 广州 is the 省会 of 广东). 首都 is only a national capital. English 'capital' blurs the two; Chinese keeps them separate.

都dōu

The character 都 in 首都 is read dū (capital). By itself in most sentences 都 is read dōu and means 'all / both.' Same character, two readings, two meanings.

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

抵制to boycott惯例convention, standard practice规矩rule军营military barracks起因the cause, how it started团结united违宪unconstitutional宣誓to swear an oath折中compromise

Acquire it by listening

Meet 首都 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

You just saw 首都 in 1 episode. Fluentide keeps feeding you news episodes at your level, so this word — and thousands like it — resurface in real sentences until they stick. Full pinyin and translation every time. Free to start.