意识 meaning in English
consciousness; awareness; (usu. followed by 到[dao4]) to be aware of; to realize
Meaning of 意识
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- consciousness; awareness
- (usu. followed by 到[dao4]) to be aware of; to realize
How to use 意识
As a noun, 意识 means consciousness or awareness, often in phrases like 安全意识 (safety awareness) or 失去意识 (to lose consciousness). As a verb, it is usually followed by 到 to mean to realize. Example: 我意识到自己错了。(Wǒ yìshí dào zìjǐ cuò le.) I realized I was wrong.
意 (yì) means idea or intention, and 识 (shí) means to know or recognize, as in 认识 (rènshi). When the ideas in your mind come to be known to you, you have 意识, awareness.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 意识 (yìshí) with 意思 (yìsi, meaning), since both start with 意 and sound alike. Also remember that 识 here takes the second tone, shí, while in 认识 and 知识 it is usually said in the neutral tone.
意识 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
意 yì · thought · 13 strokes
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识 shí · to know · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 意识.
| 认识 | rènshi | to know; to recognize |
| 知识 | zhīshi | knowledge; intellectual |
| 意思 | yìsi | idea; opinion |
| 愿意 | yuànyì | to wish; to want |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing |
| 有意思 | yǒu yìsi | interesting; meaningful |
| 意见 | yìjiàn | idea; opinion |
| 满意 | mǎnyì | satisfied; pleased |
| 故意 | gùyì | deliberately; on purpose |
| 注意 | zhùyì | to take note of; to pay attention to |
| 同意 | tóngyì | to agree; to consent |
| 主意 | zhǔyi | plan; idea |
Questions about 意识
What does 意识 mean?
意识 (yìshí) means "consciousness; awareness; (usu. followed by 到[dao4]) to be aware of; to realize" and is used as a noun and verb.
How do you write 意识?
意识 is made of 2 characters: 意 (13 strokes), 识 (7 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 意识 an HSK word?
Yes. 意识 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 意识 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 意识 is written 意識.
What is the difference between 意识到 and 发现?
意识到 means to realize something internally, often about a situation or your own mistake. 发现 (fāxiàn) means to discover or notice something, often something external that you see or find.
How do you say someone is unconscious using 意识?
You can say 他失去了意识 (tā shīqù le yìshí), he lost consciousness, or 他没有意识了 (tā méiyǒu yìshí le), he is unconscious. Both are common in medical or emergency contexts.