What does 是 mean in Chinese?

是 (shì) means "to be" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 是?

是 is written with 9 strokes, starting from the 日 (sun) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 是?

The radical of 是 is 日 (sun, Kangxi radical #72). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 时, 明, 日, 春.

How many strokes does 是 have?

The Chinese character 是 has 9 strokes.

What HSK level is 是?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 是 is a character to recognise at HSK 1 and to write by hand at HSK 2 (the handwriting list HSK 1 and 2 share).

是 (shì): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

是

shì

to be

HSK 1 character 9 strokes Radical: 日 (sun)

Quick Answer

是 (shì) means "to be" with 9 strokes, radical 日 (sun), HSK 1 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 是 →Animated stroke-order for 是 →

Pronunciation

shì

Meaning

Primary: to be

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

Oracle bone forms show 日 (sun) on top with 正 beneath, where 正 originally depicted a foot moving toward a target city or enclosure. The combined graph appears to mean something like straight under the sun or correct by the sun's measure. Early bronze inscriptions preserve this two-part structure clearly.

Form evolution

Seal script regularised the 日 on top and the 正 below into the familiar vertical stack. In clerical script the lower 正 was reshaped so its strokes connect smoothly with the top, producing the rigid modern 楷 form. The components are still individually recognisable in the finished character.

How the meaning evolved

The earliest attested meaning is correct, right, or upright. By the Warring States period it extended to this, that, or a demonstrative pointing word. The copular use meaning to be emerged later in Middle Chinese and became dominant only in the early modern vernacular, which is why classical texts rarely use 是 as a simple equals sign.

Cultural note

The idiom 實事求是 (seek truth from facts) keeps the original correct/right sense of 是 rather than the modern is. Learners who only know 是 as to be often misread classical 是 as a demonstrative or as the adjective right.

Mnemonic

Under the sun, things are set straight — this is truth

Decomposition

是=日radical+正component

Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.

Basic info

Pinyin	shì
Meanings	to be
Stroke count	9 strokes
Radical	日 (#72: sun)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2
Frequency	#154 most common

Example sentences

他是我的老师。
Tā shì wǒ de lǎoshī.
He is my teacher.
From 是 (HSK 1)
我想去，但是没时间。
Wǒ xiǎng qù, dànshì méi shíjiān.
I want to go, but I don't have time.
From 但是 (HSK 2)
他总是第一个到。
Tā zǒngshì dì yī gè dào.
He is always the first to arrive.
From 总是 (HSK 3)

Words containing 是

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
是	shì	to be	HSK 1
但是	dànshì	but	HSK 2
总是	zǒngshì	always	HSK 3
还是	háishì	still	HSK 2
可是	kěshì	however	HSK 3
是否	shìfǒu	Whether	HSK 4
要是	yàoshi	If	HSK 4
于是	yúshì	Therefore	HSK 4
不是	búshi	fault, blame
凡是	fánshì	every, all	HSK 6