识 (shí) is a Chinese character meaning “to know”. It is written from 讠 (speech radical) and 只 (only; measure word for animals), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to know; to recognize”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
讠 + 只
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（《简化字总表》识←識；简化后右旁作「只」）
Memory aid
Speech (讠) that you only (只) need to hear once — and you know it. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 识别shí biéto identify; to recognize; to distinguish识 = shí
- 常识cháng shícommon sense; general knowledge识 = shí
Go deeper
All readings
to know; knowledge
to know; to recognize; to be acquainted with; knowledge
认得；知道。也指知识、见识。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 识别shí biéto identify; to recognize; to distinguish识 = shí
- 常识cháng shícommon sense; general knowledge识 = shí
Rare readings, not taught: zhì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 识 mean?
识 (shí) means to know; to recognize; to be acquainted with; knowledge.
How do you pronounce 识?
It is pronounced shí.
What parts is 识 made of?
讠 (speech radical) and 只 (only; measure word for animals), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（《简化字总表》识←識；简化后右旁作「只」）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 识 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 识?
讠. 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 识?
Common ones are 识别 and 常识. The reading of 识 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.