似 meaning and stroke order
Resembling, similar to; as if, to seem
How to write 似, stroke by stroke
6 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
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- 6
Meaning of 似
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to seem
- to appear
- to resemble
- similar
- -like
- pseudo-
- used in 似的[shi4 de5]
How 似 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. One person 亻 resembles another.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 似
A person 亻 stands next to 以 (yǐ), and the hint says one person 亻 resembles another. Picture two people side by side who look so alike you think one is a copy of the other.
似 has two readings. It is usually sì in words like 相似 (xiāngsì, similar), 类似 (lèisì, similar) and 似乎 (sìhū, it seems), and it is shì only in 似的 (shìde), which comes after a phrase to mean "as if" or "like". Example: 他高兴得像孩子似的。(Tā gāoxìng de xiàng háizi shìde.) He was as happy as a child.
Common mistake: Learners often read 似的 as sìde, but here 似 is shì, while in 似乎 and 相似 it stays sì. Also do not confuse 似 with 以 (yǐ) or 拟 (nǐ). 似 has the person radical 亻 on the left.
Common words with 似
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 类似 | lèisì | similar; analogous | HSK 3 |
| 相似 | xiāngsì | similar; alike | HSK 3 |
| 似乎 | sìhū | it seems; seemingly; as if | HSK 4 |
| 似的 | shìde | seems as if; rather like | HSK 4 |
| 好似 | hǎosì | to seem; to be like | HSK 6 |
| 看似 | kànsì | to look as if; to seem | HSK 7-9 |
| 似曾相识 | sìcéng-xiāngshí | déjà vu (the experience of seeing exactly the same situation a second time); seemingly fam | HSK 7-9 |
| 酷似 | kùsì | to strikingly resemble | HSK 7-9 |
| 似是而非 | sìshì-érfēi | apparently right but actually wrong; specious (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 貌似 | màosì | to appear to be; to seem as if | |
| 疑似 | yísì | to be suspected to be | |
| 似地 | shìde | (used to form an adverbial phrase X + 似地[shi4 de5]) like (X); as if (X); Taiwan pr. [si4de |
似 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 似
How many strokes are in 似?
似 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 似 mean?
似 (shì) means resembling, similar to; as if, to seem. A common word with it is 类似 (lèisì), meaning "similar; analogous".
How do you pronounce 似?
似 is pronounced shì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 似?
The radical of 似 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 似 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 似?
The traditional form of 似 is 佀. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 似 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 似 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 似 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 似乎 and 好像?
Both mean "it seems". 似乎 (sìhū) sounds a bit more formal and written. 好像 (hǎoxiàng) is more common in everyday speech.
How do I use 像...似的 in a sentence?
Put 像 (xiàng) before the thing you compare to and 似的 (shìde) after it, as in 像下雨似的 (xiàng xià yǔ shìde), "as if it were raining". You can also drop 像 and just use 似的 at the end, which is common in speech.