是 (shì) is a Chinese character meaning “to be (am / is / are)”. It is written from 日 (sun; day) and 疋 (foot; also a variant of 匹 (bolt of cloth)), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to be; yes”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
日 + 疋
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱日疋，按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：日 4 画 + 疋 5 画 = 是 9 画）
Memory aid
The sun (日) sits on top, and under it 疋 puts a foot down and steps forward. Sun overhead, foot planted — that settles it: this is the one. (A memory aid, not the historical origin.)
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 但是dàn shìbut; however是 = shì
- 就是jiù shìexactly; that is precisely是 = shì
- 乃是nǎi shìis; indeed is是 = shì
- 于是yú shìthereupon; as a result是 = shì
- 又是yòu shìagain; once again it is是 = shì
- 只是zhǐ shìonly; merely; just是 = shì
- 是吗shì mareally? / is that so?是 = shìHSK 1
- 是否shì fǒuwhether or not是 = shìHSK 4
- 还是hái shìstill; nevertheless; had better是 = shì
- 总是zǒng shìalways是 = shìHSK 3
- 是啊shì ayes, indeed; that's right是 = shìHSK 1
Go deeper
All readings
to be; yes
to be (am / is / are); yes, that is right; used to affirm or to link two things
表示判断和肯定，把前后两部分联系起来；也用来回答「对、正确」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 但是dàn shìbut; however是 = shì
- 就是jiù shìexactly; that is precisely是 = shì
- 乃是nǎi shìis; indeed is是 = shì
- 于是yú shìthereupon; as a result是 = shì
- 又是yòu shìagain; once again it is是 = shì
- 只是zhǐ shìonly; merely; just是 = shì
- 是吗shì mareally? / is that so?是 = shìHSK 1
- 是否shì fǒuwhether or not是 = shìHSK 4
- 还是hái shìstill; nevertheless; had better是 = shì
- 总是zǒng shìalways是 = shìHSK 3
- 是啊shì ayes, indeed; that's right是 = shìHSK 1
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 是 mean?
是 (shì) means to be (am / is / are); yes, that is right; used to affirm or to link two things.
How do you pronounce 是?
It is pronounced shì.
What parts is 是 made of?
日 (sun; day) and 疋 (foot; also a variant of 匹 (bolt of cloth)), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱日疋，按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：日 4 画 + 疋 5 画 = 是 9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 是 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 是?
日. 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 是?
Common ones are 但是 and 就是. The reading of 是 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.