诗 (shī) is a Chinese character meaning “poem”. It is written from 讠 (speech radical) and 寺 (temple; (as a sound part) sì), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “poem; poetry”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
讠 + 寺
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字「詩，志也。从言寺聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰讠寺，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–1 为「讠」，笔画 2–7 与「寺」逐笔对应（2+6=8画）
Memory aid
Speech (讠) on the left, 寺 on the right. 寺 is the sound part — 寺 sì and 诗 shī share the same rime and differ only in the initial. Picture words spoken in the quiet of a temple courtyard: measured, rhythmic speech — that is a poem.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 诗人shī rénpoet诗 = shī
- 古诗gǔ shīclassical Chinese poem; ancient poetry诗 = shī
- 吟诗yín shīto chant poetry; to recite a poem诗 = shī
Go deeper
All readings
poem; poetry
poem; poetry; verse
一种有节奏、有韵律、分行书写的文学体裁；也指一首这样的作品。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 诗人shī rénpoet诗 = shī
- 古诗gǔ shīclassical Chinese poem; ancient poetry诗 = shī
- 吟诗yín shīto chant poetry; to recite a poem诗 = shī
Sound component
寺 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 诗 mean?
诗 (shī) means poem; poetry; verse.
How do you pronounce 诗?
It is pronounced shī.
What parts is 诗 made of?
讠 (speech radical) and 寺 (temple; (as a sound part) sì), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字「詩，志也。从言寺聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰讠寺，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–1 为「讠」，笔画 2–7 与「寺」逐笔对应（2+6=8画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 诗 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 诗?
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 诗?
Common ones are 诗人, 古诗, 吟诗. The reading of 诗 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.