知

zhī
verb #850

Meanings

  1. 1 to know; to be aware of
  2. 2 knowledge; understanding

Examples

HSK 1
Nǐ zhīdào ma?
Did you know?
HSK 1
Wǒ bù zhīdào tā zài nǎr.
I don't know where he is.

Tips

usage
知 is a fundamental character: 知道 (to know), 知识 (knowledge), 通知 (to notify), 知名 (well-known), 未知 (unknown).
culture
The Confucian saying 知之为知之,不知为不知 - 'To know what you know and know what you don't know, that is true knowledge.'

Components

radical
矢 shǐ
arrow
Left 矢 - the arrow radical, indexing radical for 知. Pictures a feathered arrow with shaft and barb. Anchors 知 in a tight family of arrow-related characters: 短 (short - shorter than an arrow), 矮 (low/short), 矩 (carpenter's square). The arrow image is key to the meaning: knowledge flies straight to its target like an arrow.
semantic
口 kǒu
mouth
Right 口 - the mouth, here the speaking mouth. The compound picture is famous: words from the mouth (口) that fly as straight and fast as an arrow (矢). To know something is to be able to speak it instantly and accurately, without hesitation - 知 is knowledge tested by speech. Pure ideographic compound, no phonetic role.

Stroke Order

知 zhī