实

實
shí
adjective #6,208

Meanings

  1. 1 real; true; solid
  2. 2 honest; fruit

Examples

HSK 1
Zhè shì shìshí.
This is a fact.
HSK 1
Shízài tài hǎo le!
It's really great!
HSK 3
Tā hěn lǎoshi.
He is very honest.

Tips

usage
实 forms many essential words: 其实 (actually), 事实 (fact), 实在 (really/indeed), 老实 (honest), 实际 (practical/actual), 真实 (true/real), 果实 (fruit).

Components

radical
宀 mián
roof (radical)
Top radical 宀 - a peaked roof with two short walls, indexing 实 as something inside a household. The traditional form 實 had 貫 (a string of cowries) under the roof, picturing wealth packed into a home. The simplified 实 keeps only this roof and a stylised lower piece. Same radical anchors 家, 安, 完, 守, 富.
semantic
头 tóu
head; modern reform shape
Bottom 头 - the modern simplified form of 頭 (head), but here it is a graphic borrowing rather than a meaning contributor. In the 1956 reform, the cluttered 貫 underneath traditional 實 was replaced by the much shorter 头 silhouette. Treat as a visual placeholder: in 实 it does not mean 'head', it just preserves the stack-shape.

Stroke Order

实 shí