Meaning of 认
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to recognize
- to know
- to admit
How to use 认
On its own, 认 often means to recognize or to admit, as in 认错 (rèncuò, to admit a mistake). It appears most often inside common words like 认识, 认为 and 认真. Example: 我认出他了。(Wǒ rènchū tā le.) I recognized him.
认 is made of the speech radical 讠 on the left and 人 (rén, person) on the right. Think of saying out loud who a person is: you recognize them and name them.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 入 (rù, to enter) instead of 人 (rén). In 人, the left stroke is the longer one. Also, 认 is fourth tone (rèn), not second tone like 人 (rén).
认 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.
认 rèn · to recognize · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 认.
| 认识 | rènshi | to know; to recognize |
| 认真 | rènzhēn | conscientious; earnest |
| 认为 | rènwéi | to believe; to think; to consider; to feel |
| 认得 | rènde | to recognize; to remember sth (or sb) on seeing it |
| 否认 | fǒurèn | to declare to be untrue; to deny |
| 认出 | rènchū | recognition; to recognize |
| 认可 | rènkě | to approve; approval |
| 承认 | chéngrèn | to admit; to concede |
| 确认 | quèrèn | to confirm; to verify |
| 认定 | rèndìng | to maintain (that sth is true); to determine (a fact) |
| 公认 | gōngrèn | publicly known (to be); accepted (as) |
| 认同 | rèntóng | to approve of; to endorse |
Questions about 认
What does 认 mean?
认 (rèn) means "to recognize; to know" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 认?
认 is made of 1 character: 认 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 认 an HSK word?
Yes. 认 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 认 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 认 is written 認.
What is the difference between 认识 and 认得?
认识 (rènshi) means to know someone or something, including being acquainted with a person. 认得 (rènde) focuses on being able to recognize something when you see it, and it sounds more colloquial. For meeting someone new, say 很高兴认识你 (hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ), not 认得.
Is 认为 the same as 觉得?
Both can mean to think. 认为 (rènwéi) is a bit more formal and suits stated opinions or judgments. 觉得 (juéde) is more casual and can also describe feelings.