知 zhī to know; to be aware
Made up of [矢 shǐ arrow; to vow radical 111, 口 kǒu mouth radical 30]Made with 8 strokes.
Combining 'arrow' with 'mouth' suggests swiftness of thought. Knowledge can be thought of as sharp as an arrow
Related characters
Also uses 矢 shǐ component: 矮 ǎi (low) 候 hòu (wait) ; 侯 hóu (nobleman) ; 铁 tiě (arms) ; 医 yī (doctor) ; 族 zú (clan)
Also uses 口 kǒu component: 吧 bā (supposition or suggestion) 唱 chàng (to sing) ; 超 chāo (to exceed) ; 吃 chī (to eat) ; 船 chuán (boat) ; 啡 fēi (coffee) ; 富 fù (rich) ; 福 fú (good fortune) ; 告 gào (to tell) ; 各 gè (each) ; 宫 gōng (palace) ; 狗 gǒu (dog) ; 古 gǔ (ancient) ; 咳 hāi (sound of sighing) ; 号 hào (name) ; 和 hé (together) ; 合 hé (to close) ; 喝 hē (drink) ; 亨 hēng (prosperous) ; 后 hòu (behind) ; 回 huí (to circle) ; 或 huò (maybe) ; 吉 jí (lucky) ; 叫 jiào (called) ; 京 jīng (capital) ; 咎 jiù (fault) ; 句 jù (sentence) ; 局 jú (office) ; 君 jūn (monarch) ; 咖 kā (coffee) ; 可 kě (can) ; 另 lìng (other) ; 吗 mǎ (?) ; 命 mìng (life) ; 名 míng (name) ; 鸣 míng (to call (birds)) ; 呢 ne (and you?) ; 啤 pí (hops) ; 品 pǐn (article) ; 如 rú (as) ; 尚 shàng (still) ; 事 shì (matter) ; 史 shǐ (history) ; 虽 suī (although) ; 台 tái (typhoon) ; 唐 táng (Tang) ; 听 tīng (to listen) ; 同 tóng (same) ; 问 wèn (ask) ; 喜 xǐ (to be fond of) ; 兄 xiōng (elder brother) ; 咬 yǎo (to bite) ; 右 yòu (right) ; 语 yǔ (language) ; 员 yuán (person) ; 曰 yuē (to speak) ; 占 zhān (to observe) ; 只 zhī (one) ; 周 zhōu (circuit) ; 足 zú (foot)
Sounds same
只 zhī (one) ; 之 zhī (him) ; 支 zhī (to support) ; 枝 zhī (branch)Different tone
直 zhí (straight) ; 值 zhí (value) ; 植 zhí (to plant) ; 纸 zhǐ (paper) ; 止 zhǐ (to stop) ; 夂 zhǐ (walk slowly) ; 志 zhì (aspiration) ; 至 zhì (to arrive) ; 治 zhì (to rule) ; 致 zhì (to send) ; 置 zhì (to install)Pronunciation
Sound file kindly provided by shtooka.net ➚ under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike License
Stroke order for character 知, kindly provided under Wikimedia creative commons license ➚
Proverbs
明知故问 míng zhī gù wèn To ask a question when already knowing the answer塞翁失马,安知非福 sài wēng shī mǎ, ān zhī fēi fú The story ➚ is that a man lost his horse but actually it went over the Great Wall and brought back several horses with it. A setback may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
温故而知新 wēn gù ér zhī xīn Studying the past helps to understand the present
自知之明 zì zhī zhī míng Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses is an essential first step in life. being able to judge yourself objectively as others see you is a path to harmony and true friendship.
知其然,不知其所以然 zhī qí rán, bù zhī qí suǒ yǐ rán Having a limited understanding of something. Only seeing half the problem.
疾风知劲草 jí fēng zhī jìng cǎo Being put to the test in harsh circumstances. To show resolution under extreme stress. Remaining loyal to a cause when the going gets tough.