Meaning of 熟悉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to be familiar with; to know well
How to use 熟悉
熟悉 works as a verb meaning to know something or someone well, and also as an adjective meaning familiar. It often takes a direct object, and 熟悉一下 means to get familiar with something. Example: 我对这个城市很熟悉。(Wǒ duì zhège chéngshì hěn shúxi.) I know this city very well.
熟 (shú) means cooked or ripe, like something that has been through the fire for a long time, and 悉 (xī) has 心 (heart) at the bottom, meaning to know fully. When something has "cooked" in your heart long enough, you know it well.
Common mistake: Learners often read 熟 as shóu in every word. In 熟悉 the standard reading is shú, while shóu is a colloquial reading used in speech for words like 饭熟了. Also, 悉 is often confused with 息 (xī, breath, news), so remember that 悉 has 釆 on top, not 自.
熟悉 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.
熟 shú · ripe · 15 strokes
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悉 xī · to know · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 熟悉.
| 成熟 | chéngshú | mature; ripe; to mature; to ripen |
| 熟人 | shúrén | acquaintance; friend |
| 熟练 | shúliàn | practiced; proficient |
| 获悉 | huòxī | to learn of sth; to find out |
| 据悉 | jùxī | according to reports; it is reported (that) |
| 耳熟能详 | ěrshú-néngxiáng | what's frequently heard can be repeated in detail (idiom) |
| 眼熟 | yǎnshú | familiar-looking; to seem familiar |
| 面熟 | miànshú | to look familiar; familiar-looking |
| 熟知 | shúzhī | to be well acquainted with |
| 深思熟虑 | shēnsīshúlǜ | mature reflection; after careful deliberations |
| 熟睡 | shúshuì | asleep; sleeping soundly |
| 耳熟 | ěrshú | to sound familiar; familiar-sounding |
Questions about 熟悉
What does 熟悉 mean?
熟悉 (shúxi) means "to be familiar with; to know well" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 熟悉?
熟悉 is made of 2 characters: 熟 (15 strokes), 悉 (11 strokes). That is 26 strokes in total.
Is 熟悉 an HSK word?
Yes. 熟悉 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 熟悉 and 认识?
认识 (rènshi) means you have met someone or can recognize something. 熟悉 means you know it well and in depth. You can 认识 a person after one meeting, but you only 熟悉 them after spending a lot of time together.
How do I say I am not familiar with something?
Say 不熟悉 (bù shúxi), for example 我不熟悉这里 (Wǒ bù shúxi zhèlǐ), I am not familiar with this place. In casual speech people also say 不熟 (bù shú) or 我跟他不熟 (I don't know him well).