是

shì

verb HSK 1 #4

Meanings

1 to be
2 is
3 yes

Characters

to be; is; am; are; yes

Examples

我是学生。

Wǒ shì xuésheng.

I am a student.

她是中国人。

Tā shì Zhōngguó rén.

She is Chinese.

是的，没问题。

Shì de, méi wèntí.

Yes, no problem.

Tips

grammar

是 links a subject to a noun: 我是老师 (I am a teacher). Do NOT use 是 with adjectives — say 她很漂亮, not *她是漂亮.

mistakes

是 is only used to equate nouns, not to link adjectives. This is one of the most common mistakes for English speakers learning Chinese.

Stroke Order

是 shì