What does 知 mean in Chinese?

知 (zhī) means "to know" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 知?

知 is written with 8 strokes, starting from the 矢 (arrow) 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 知?

The radical of 知 is 矢 (arrow, Kangxi radical #111). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 矢.

How many strokes does 知 have?

The Chinese character 知 has 8 strokes.

What HSK level is 知?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 知 is a character to recognise at HSK 1.

知 (zhī): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

知

zhī

to know

HSK 1 character 8 strokes Radical: 矢 (arrow)

Quick Answer

知 (zhī) means "to know" with 8 strokes, radical 矢 (arrow), HSK 1 on the new exam.

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

Pronunciation

zhī

Meaning

Primary: to know

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

知 is a compound of 矢 (arrow) and 口 (mouth), with oracle-bone and bronze forms showing the two components side by side. The traditional interpretation, going back to the Shuowen Jiezi, reads it as words (口) flying as swiftly and accurately as an arrow (矢), signifying knowing or speaking with certainty. Some modern paleographers instead treat 矢 as a phonetic element, making 知 a phono-semantic compound rather than a purely ideographic one.

Form evolution

The arrangement of 矢 on the left and 口 on the right stabilised by the bronze period and carried through small seal script with minimal change. Clerical script squared off the curves of 矢, giving it the flat-topped shape used today, and fixed the proportions so that 口 sits neatly at the lower right. The modern 楷书 form is essentially the clerical shape with sharper strokes.

How the meaning evolved

The earliest attested meaning is to know or be aware of, and this remains central in modern Mandarin (知道, 知识). From this it extended to inform or make known (通知), to be in charge of (知县, a Ming and Qing prefect), and to the noun wisdom, later written 智 with an added 日 beneath. 智 and 知 were originally the same word and character, with the distinction in writing emerging only gradually after the Han.

Cultural note

The Analects line 知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也 (to know when you know and know when you do not; that is knowing) turns on the dual sense of 知 as both to know and wisdom, and is one of the most quoted passages in Chinese education. Learners often overuse 知道 for all senses of knowing; for knowing a person, 认识 is the correct choice.