The character 是 — “be”: how to write it and what it means
be
The Chinese character 是 is read shì and means “be”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 是
是 has 9 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 是, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 是 is made of
On top, 日 “sun”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 是
- 还是or; still; had betterHSK 2
- 但是but, howeverHSK 2
- 只是merely; onlyHSK 3
- 总是alwaysHSK 3
- 可是butHSK 3
- 就是precisely; it's just thatHSK 4
- 要是if (colloq.)HSK 4
- 老是always, all the timeHSK 4
- 于是and so, thereuponHSK 4
- 是否whether, yes or noHSK 4
- 或是or; either… orHSK 5
- 要不是if it weren't forHSK 5
- 倒是but, on the contrary; come onHSK 6
- 算是count as; one could sayHSK 6
- 凡是every, all thatHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 是?
是 has 9 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 是 mean?
是 means “be”. It appears in 还是 (“or”), 但是 (“but”), 只是 (“merely”), 总是 (“always”).
How do you pronounce 是?
是 is read shì. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 是 have?
9 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 是 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free