首都 shǒu dū
“capital (city)”
nounHSK 4 · 2021 list level 3Measure word 个
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
首都 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 1682: 首都 shǒudū — Level 4; official annotation 4 (名). PDF page 122
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 首都
首都 means a country’s capital city. It is a noun and commonly appears in the pattern “A 的首都是 B”, or before another noun as in 首都机场. Use it only for a national capital, not for any large city.
例句Example sentences
- 北京是中国的首都。běi jīng shì zhōng guó de shǒu dū.Beijing is the capital of China.
- 你知道澳大利亚的首都是哪里吗？nǐ zhī dao ào dà lì yà de shǒu dū shì nǎ lǐ ma?Do you know what the capital of Australia is?
- 很多国家的首都不是最大的城市。hěn duō guó jiā de shǒu dū bú shì zuì dà de chéng shì.The capital of many countries is not the largest city.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗北京是首都中国。
✓北京是中国的首都。
The modifier 中国的 must come before 首都, with 的 linking them.