使 (shǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “to use”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 吏 (petty official; clerk), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to use; to make (someone do)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 吏
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 使，伶也。从人吏聲
Memory aid
A person (亻) sent off by the official (吏): someone is being made to go and do a job.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 使用shǐ yòngto use; to employ; to apply使 = shǐ
- 大使dà shǐambassador使 = shǐ
- 即使jí shǐeven if; even though使 = shǐ
- 倘使tǎng shǐif; in case使 = shǐspoken astáng shǐ
- 唆使suō shǐto instigate; to incite使 = shǐ
Go deeper
All readings
to use; to make (someone do)
to use; to employ; to make or cause (someone to do something); an envoy
拿来用；让、叫（别人做某事）。也指派往外国的使者。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 使用shǐ yòngto use; to employ; to apply使 = shǐ
- 大使dà shǐambassador使 = shǐ
- 即使jí shǐeven if; even though使 = shǐ
- 倘使tǎng shǐif; in case使 = shǐspoken astáng shǐ
- 唆使suō shǐto instigate; to incite使 = shǐ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 使 mean?
使 (shǐ) means to use; to employ; to make or cause (someone to do something); an envoy.
How do you pronounce 使?
It is pronounced shǐ.
What parts is 使 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 吏 (petty official; clerk), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 使，伶也。从人吏聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 使 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 使?
人. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 使?
Common ones are 使用 and 大使. The reading of 使 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.