知 zhī — to know, to be aware of, to realise; knowledge; to inform
zhī (first tone, high and level)
to know, to be aware of, to realise; knowledge; to inform
8 strokesRadical 矢Frequency #101
Pinyin
- zhī (first tone, high and level)
to know, to be aware of, to realise; knowledge; to inform
Character breakdown
Ideographic description
⿰矢口The sequence reads left to right and describes how the parts are arranged.
- 矢meaning partno entry yetAn arrow: it flies straight and lands where it was aimed.
- 口meaning partThe mouth that sends it. Words that go straight to the point come from someone who knows.
Mnemonic
An arrow 矢 and a mouth 口: speech that goes straight to the mark, which is what a person who knows produces. 知道 is the workhorse — to know a fact, a name, an address — and it is not interchangeable with 认识, which is to be acquainted with a person or a place. 我知道他 means I know of him; 我认识他 means I know him.
A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.