Meaning of 识
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to know
- knowledge
- Taiwan pr. [shi4]
- to record
- to write a footnote
How to use 识
识 rarely appears alone in modern speech. It mostly lives inside words like 认识 (rènshi, to know a person), 知识 (zhīshi, knowledge) and 识字 (shízì, to be literate). Example: 我奶奶不识字。(Wǒ nǎinai bù shízì.) My grandma can't read.
识 has the speech radical 讠 on the left and 只 (zhǐ) on the right. Think of words 讠 and the mouth in 只: you get to know someone by talking with them, so 识 means to know or recognize.
Common mistake: In 认识 and 知识 the 识 is usually said in the neutral tone (rènshi, zhīshi), so learners who stress a full second tone sound stiff. Also, 认识 is for knowing people or recognizing things, while 知道 (zhīdào) is for knowing facts, so avoid saying 我认识这件事 when you mean 我知道这件事.
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.
识 shí · to know · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 识.
| 认识 | rènshi | to know; to recognize |
| 知识 | zhīshi | knowledge; intellectual |
| 常识 | chángshí | common sense; general knowledge |
| 意识 | yìshí | consciousness; awareness; (usu. followed by 到[dao4]) to be aware of; to realize |
| 识字 | shízì | to learn to read; able to read; literate |
| 见识 | jiànshi | to gain first-hand knowledge of sth; to experience for oneself |
| 识别 | shíbié | to distinguish; to discern; to identify; to recognize |
| 相识 | xiāngshí | to get to know each other; acquaintance |
| 共识 | gòngshí | common understanding; consensus |
| 结识 | jiéshí | to get to know sb; to meet sb for the first time |
| 知识分子 | zhīshi fènzǐ | intellectual; intelligentsia |
| 似曾相识 | sìcéng-xiāngshí | déjà vu (the experience of seeing exactly the same situation a second time); seemingly fam |
Questions about 识
What does 识 mean?
识 (shí) means "to know; knowledge" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 识?
识 is made of 1 character: 识 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 识 an HSK word?
Yes. 识 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 识 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 识 is written 識.
Why is 识 sometimes read zhì?
The reading zhì is an older literary one meaning to record or to mark, as in 标识 (biāozhì). You will mostly meet it in classical texts and a few set words. In everyday words, read it shí.
What is the difference between 认识 and 意识?
认识 (rènshi) means to know or recognize someone or something. 意识 (yìshí) means awareness or to realize, and it is often followed by 到, as in 我意识到错了 (Wǒ yìshí dào cuò le), I realized I was wrong.