師 meaning and stroke order
Teacher, professional, master
How to write 師, stroke by stroke
10 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
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Meaning of 師
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- teacher
- master
- expert
- model
- army division
- (old) troops
How 師 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. To skillfully wield 帀 a knife 㠯.
Radical: 巾 (cloth), shared by 53 characters on this site.
How to remember 師
The left side 㠯 with a stroke 丿 on top is read as a knife, and the right side 帀 is the hand that wields it. Picture a 師 (shī) as a master who skillfully handles a blade, someone expert enough to teach others.
師 (shī) usually appears in compounds for teachers and skilled professionals, such as 老師 (lǎoshī) teacher, 律師 (lǜshī) lawyer, and 工程師 (gōngchéngshī) engineer. It can also mean an army division in military contexts. Example: 她是我的老師。 (Tā shì wǒ de lǎoshī.) She is my teacher.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 師 (shī) with 帥 (shuài, handsome or commander), which has no horizontal stroke on top of the right side. Also keep the first tone in 老師 (lǎoshī) and do not drop it to a neutral tone in careful speech.
Common words with 師
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 老師 | lǎoshī | teacher | HSK 1 |
| 教師 | jiàoshī | teacher | HSK 2 |
| 工程師 | gōngchéngshī | engineer | HSK 3 |
| 律師 | lǜshī | lawyer | HSK 4 |
| 師傅 | shīfu | master; qualified worker | HSK 5 |
| 攝影師 | shèyǐngshī | photographer; cinematographer; cameraman | HSK 5 |
| 師父 | shīfu | used for 師傅|师傅 (in Taiwan); master | HSK 6 |
| 大師 | dàshī | great master; master | HSK 6 |
| 廚師 | chúshī | cook; chef | HSK 6 |
| 設計師 | shèjìshī | designer; architect | HSK 6 |
| 師生 | shīshēng | teachers and students | HSK 6 |
| 導師 | dǎoshī | tutor; teacher | HSK 7-9 |
| 建築師 | jiànzhùshī | architect | HSK 7-9 |
| 師長 | shīzhǎng | military division level commander; teacher | HSK 7-9 |
Characters that contain 師
Learning 師 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 師
How many strokes are in 師?
師 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 師 mean?
師 (shī) means teacher, professional, master. A common word with it is 老师 (lǎoshī), meaning "teacher".
How do you pronounce 師?
師 is pronounced shī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 師?
The radical of 師 is 巾, which carries the idea of "cloth". Dictionaries list 師 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 師?
師 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 师, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 師傅 and 師父?
Both are pronounced shīfu. 師傅 is a polite way to address a skilled worker, like a driver or cook. 師父 often means a personal master or mentor, such as in martial arts or Buddhism, and in Taiwan it is also used where mainland Chinese uses 師傅.
Can I call a teacher just 師 by itself?
No, 師 is rarely used alone in modern speech. Use 老師 (lǎoshī), or put it after a surname, as in 王老師 (Wáng lǎoshī) Teacher Wang.