识

2 readings · tap one to hear it

to know; knowledge; Taiwan pr. [shi4]

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HSK 3.0: Level 1
Old HSK: Level 1
Strokes: 7
Radical: 言 +5
Structure: Left–right 左右
Traditional: 識
Common rank: #564
Unicode: U+8BC6

Sound it out + = · + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

How 识 is formed

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

讠 meaning “speech” + 只 sound ( zhī )

Components 讠只

How to remember it

knowledge · Heisig RSH #353

只 only + 词 word

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

Words with 识

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
知识	zhī shi	knowledge; CL:門\|门[men2]; intellectual
认识	rèn shi	to know; to recognize; to be familiar with; to get acquainted with sb; knowledge; understa…
不打不成相识	bù dǎ bù chéng xiāng shí	don't fight, won't make friends (idiom); an exchange of blows may lead to friendship
不打不相识	bù dǎ bù xiāng shí	lit. don't fight, won't make friends (idiom); an exchange of blows may lead to friendship;…
不识大体	bù shí dà tǐ	to fail to see the larger issue (idiom); to fail to grasp the big picture
一字不识	yī zì bù shí	totally illiterate
知识分子	zhī shi fèn zǐ	variant of 知識分子\|知识分子[zhi1 shi5 fen4 zi3]
知识分子	zhī shi fèn zǐ	intellectual; intelligentsia
公共知识分子	gōng gòng zhī shi fèn zǐ	public intellectual (sometimes used derogatorily)
不识时变	bù shí shí biàn	to show no understanding of the times (idiom); cannot adapt to current circumstances; not …
有识之士	yǒu shí zhī shì	a person with knowledge and experience (idiom)
理性知识	lǐ xìng zhī shi	rational knowledge
语音意识	yǔ yīn yì shí	phonetic awareness
素不相识	sù bù xiāng shí	to be total strangers (idiom)
有眼不识泰山	yǒu yǎn bù shí Tài Shān	lit. to have eyes but fail to recognize Mt Tai (idiom); fig. to fail to recognize sb impor…
不识字	bù shí zì	illiterate
识时通变	shí shí tōng biàn	understanding and adaptable
无意识	wú yì shí	unconscious; involuntary
科学知识	kē xué zhī shi	scientific knowledge
有意识	yǒu yì shí	conscious

Sound family

Characters sharing the sound component 只 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
只 sound part	zhī	only, merely, just
积	jī	to store up, to amass, to accumulate
职	zhí	duty, profession; office, post
织	zhī	to knit, to weave; to organize, to unite
炽	chì	to burn, to blaze; splendid; intense
帜	zhì	flag, pennant, sign; to fasten
咫	zhǐ	unit of length used during the Zhou dynasty
枳	zhǐ	trifoliate orange; hedge thorn
轵	zhǐ	the end of an axle that extends beyond the hub