什 meaning and stroke order
What? mixed, miscellaneous
How to write 什, stroke by stroke
4 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Meaning of 什
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- what
- ten (used in fractions, writing checks etc)
- assorted
- miscellaneous
How 什 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A file of ten 十 people 亻.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 什
什 is made of a person 亻 next to ten 十, an old picture of a file of ten people. Imagine pointing at ten people standing in a row and asking "what" they are doing, and you have 什 (shén).
In daily speech 什 almost always appears in 什么 (shénme), meaning "what", and in phrases built on it like 为什么 (wèi shénme, why) and 没什么 (méi shénme, it's nothing). Example: 你在干什么？(Nǐ zài gàn shénme?) What are you doing?
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 什 as 仆 (pū) or 估 by mixing up the right side; 什 has a full cross 十 on the right. Also remember the reading shí in 什锦 (shíjǐn, assorted), not shén.
Common words with 什
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 什么 | shénme | what?; something; anything | HSK 1 |
| 干什么 | gàn shénme | what are you doing?; what's he up to? | HSK 1 |
| 没什么 | méi shénme | it doesn't matter; it's nothing; never mind; think nothing of it; it's my pleasure; you're | HSK 1 |
| 为什么 | wèi shénme | why?; for what reason? | HSK 2 |
| 什么样 | shénmeyàng | what kind?; what sort? | HSK 2 |
| 什锦 | shíjǐn | (food) assorted; mixed |
什 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 什
How many strokes are in 什?
什 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 什 mean?
什 (shén) means what? mixed, miscellaneous. A common word with it is 什么 (shénme), meaning "what?; something; anything".
How do you pronounce 什?
什 is pronounced shén, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 什?
The radical of 什 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 什 under this radical.
Is 什 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 什 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why is 么 in 什么 pronounced with a neutral tone?
么 (me) in 什么 is unstressed, so it is read lightly with no tone: shénme. Only 什 carries a clear second tone.
Can 什么 mean "something" or "anything" instead of "what"?
Yes. In statements and some questions it means "something" or "anything", as in 你想吃点什么吗？(Nǐ xiǎng chī diǎn shénme ma?) Do you want to eat something? With 都 or 也 it means "everything" or "nothing", as in 我什么都不要 (wǒ shénme dōu bú yào), I don't want anything.