The character 知 — “know”: how to write it and what it means
know
The Chinese character 知 is read zhī and means “know”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 知
知 has 8 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 知, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 知 is made of
On the right, 口 “mouth”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 知
- 知道knowHSK 1
- 知识knowledgeHSK 4
- 通知notify; noticeHSK 4
- 知名well-known (lit.)HSK 5
- 认知cognition; perception (of the world)HSK 6
- 得知learn, get newsHSK 6
- 众所周知as everyone knowsHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 知?
知 has 8 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 知 mean?
知 means “know”. It appears in 知道 (“know”), 知识 (“knowledge”), 通知 (“notify”), 知名 (“well-known”).
How do you pronounce 知?
知 is read zhī. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 知 have?
8 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 知 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.
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