Meaning of 相似
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- similar; alike
How to use 相似
相似 describes things that resemble each other but are not exactly the same. It often appears in patterns like A 和 B 很相似 or A 跟 B 相似. Example: 他们的性格很相似。(Tāmen de xìnggé hěn xiāngsì.) Their personalities are very similar.
相 (xiāng) means each other, and 似 (sì) has the person radical 亻 beside 以, so picture two people looking at each other and seeing they look alike. Mutually alike gives you similar.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 相似 (similar) with 相同 (xiāngtóng, identical). Use 相同 only when things are the same, and 相似 when they are only alike. Also, 似 is read sì here, not shì as in 似的 (shìde).
相似 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.
相 xiāng · mutual · 9 strokes
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似 shì · resembling · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 相似.
| 相信 | xiāngxìn | to believe; to be convinced; to accept as true |
| 相同 | xiāngtóng | identical; same |
| 相机 | xiàngjī | camera (abbr. for 照相機|照相机[zhao4 xiang4 ji1]); at the opportune moment |
| 照相 | zhàoxiàng | to take a photograph |
| 相当 | xiāngdāng | equivalent to; appropriate |
| 互相 | hùxiāng | each other; mutually |
| 类似 | lèisì | similar; analogous |
| 相关 | xiāngguān | related; relevant |
| 相互 | xiānghù | each other; mutual |
| 相比 | xiāngbǐ | to compare |
| 似乎 | sìhū | it seems; seemingly; as if |
| 似的 | shìde | seems as if; rather like |
Questions about 相似
What does 相似 mean?
相似 (xiāngsì) means "similar; alike" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 相似?
相似 is made of 2 characters: 相 (9 strokes), 似 (6 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 相似 an HSK word?
Yes. 相似 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 相似 and 像?
像 (xiàng) is a verb meaning to resemble and takes an object directly, as in 他像他爸爸 (He looks like his dad). 相似 is an adjective and usually needs 和 or 跟 to link the two things, as in 他和他爸爸很相似.
Can 相似 be used before a noun?
Yes. Add 的 to make it modify a noun, as in 相似的问题 (xiāngsì de wèntí), a similar problem. It is common in both speech and writing.