How to write 什 (shén, “what”)
什, an HSK 1 character, is read shén for “what”, and also shí (“ten”). As a left-right character it splits into 亻 (“person”, the radical), strokes 1–2; 十 (“ten”), strokes 3–4, written the left part first. It is part of the HSK word 什么 (“what?”), and of 什菜 (“mixed vegetables”) and 家什 (“utensils”). Japanese reads it juu, “utensil”.
- Pinyin
- shén, shí
- Strokes
- 4
- HSK
- 1
- Radical
- 亻 (“person”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Left-falling stroke ㇒top leftdown and left
- Vertical ㇑leftdownwards
- Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards
- Vertical ㇑topdownwards
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 4 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| shén second tone | what | — | 什么 为什么 什么事 什么人 |
| shí second tone | ten (used in fractions, writing checks etc); assorted; miscellaneous | — | 什菜 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 1
- 2021 standard
- level 1
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 1 word
- Words with it
- 27 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 什
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 什么 什麼 | shénme | what?; something HSK 1 |
| 为什么 為什麼 | wèishénme | why?; for what reason? HSK 2 |
| 什菜 | shícài | mixed vegetables |
| 家什 | jiāshi | utensils; furniture |
| 什么事 什麼事 | shénmeshì | What's up?; Is something the matter? |
| 什么人 什麼人 | shénmerén | who?; what (kind of) person? |
| 什么样 什麼樣 | shénmeyàng | what kind?; what sort? |
| 什么的 什麼的 | shénmede | and so on; and so forth |
| 没什么 沒什麼 | méishénme | it doesn't matter; it's nothing |
| 什么好说 什麼好說 | shénmehǎoshuō | sth pertinent to say |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
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HSK 1, in list order: