Kanji Kaisen

漢字Kanji · in Tools & Weapons

知: know, wisdom

JLPT N48 strokesGrade 2Your ink: 白 Not met

矢 carries the meaning · 口 is drawn in

8 strokes

Three readings, and the words that use each

チchi · on'yomi · in compounds

  • 承知するしょうちするconsent
  • 通知するつうちするnotify by letter
  • 知識ちしきknowledge
  • 知恵ちえwisdom
  • 知性ちせいintelligence
  • 知的なちてきなintellectual
  • 知人ちじんacquaintance

しるshiru · kun'yomi · on its own

  • 知るしるknow
  • 知り合いしりあいacquaintance

しらせるshiraseru · kun'yomi

  • 知らせるしらせるnotify

Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.

Learn it 4 steps
Print sheet Present
成り立ち

Where it comes from

Origin · sourced

Ideogrammic compound (會意)大 adult + 口 mouth + 子 child

Originally the same character as 智, used interchangeably. In oracle bone inscriptions, ideogrammic compound (會意): 大 (“adult”) + 口 (“mouth”) + 子 (“child”) – to transmit knowledge.

Source: Wiktionary, 知 (rev. 92162220), CC BY-SA 4.0

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“Arrow (矢) + mouth (口). To speak "words" that are as "direct" as an "arrow"—the fundamental act of "knowing" a fact.”
From the 矢 arrow story
繋がり
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
矢

Also built on arrow (矢)

All 6
口

Also built on mouth (口)

All 108

知 gives its sound to

The family reading is チ (chi). Sound parts: KanjiVG.

Also read チ

15 kanji share this on'yomiAll 15

Easy to confuse

The difference, side by side
知 know · 矢
vs咲 blossom · 关
知 has 矢 where 咲 has 关.
In ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · zhī

Same form: 知 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).

Simplified
知 mainland China, Singapore
Traditional
知 Taiwan, Hong Kong

Pinyin zhī most common reading

Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.

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