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知

On'yomi
チ
CHI
Kun'yomi
し.る・し.らせる
shiru / shiraseru

know · wisdom

Details

Strokes8
Frequency#205
Radical矢arrow(5)

Stroke Order

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Strokes8

Cultural Context

Etymology

Composed of arrow and mouth. Knowledge spoken fast like arrow.

Symbolism

Knowledge, wisdom, notice. Represents cognition and understanding.

Related Culture & Scenes

  • — Living in the present

Component Breakdown

知=
矢口

arrow + mouth

Words & Expressions

Words written with 知

知るしるknow
知恵ちえwisdom
察知さっちinfer
告知こくちnotice
存知ぞんじknowing
承知しょうちexcusing

Four-Character Compounds

一知半解

いっちはんかい

superficial knowledge; half knowledge

周知徹底

しゅうちてってい

making (something) known to everyone; publicizing as widely as possible; dissemination

親戚知己

しんせきちき

relatives and acquaintances

全知全能

ぜんちぜんのう

omniscience and omnipotence

無知蒙昧

むちもうまい

unenlightened; uneducated; ignorant

受胎告知

じゅたいこくち

Annunciation

温故知新

おんこちしん

developing new ideas based on study of the past; learning from the past

格物致知

かくぶつちち

gaining a perfect knowledge of natural laws

知己朋友

ちきほうゆう

intimate friends and acquaintances

知行合一

ちこうごういつ

awareness comes only through practice

知者不惑

ちしゃふわく

a wise person always follows the right course; a wise man never wavers

知勇兼備

ちゆうけんび

having both wisdom and courage

半知半解

はんちはんかい

superficial knowledge; half knowledge

奸佞邪知

かんねいじゃち

wiles and cunning; craftiness and treachery

五十知命

ごじゅうちめい

at age fifty, one comes to know the will of Heaven

先刻承知

せんこくしょうち

being already (well) aware

知育偏重

ちいくへんちょう

too much intellectual training; overemphasis on intellectual education

無学無知

むがくむち

illiterate and ignorant

無知愚昧

むちぐまい

unenlightened; in the darkest ignorance; not knowing from A to B

無知文盲

むちもんもう

ignorance and illiteracy

良知良能

りょうちりょうのう

one's innate intelligence and ability

不知不識

ふちふしき

being unaware of what one is doing

冷暖自知

れいだんじち

spiritual enlightenment only comes through personal experience

Proverbs & Idioms

知らぬが仏

しらぬがほとけ

Not knowing is Buddha

Ignorance is bliss

Poetry

和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

これやこの 行くも帰るも 別れては 知るも知らぬも あふ坂の関

So this is the place where those going and those returning part, where strangers and friends alike meet: the Barrier of Osaka.

蟬丸蟬丸
Unknown
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

名にしおはば 逢坂山の さねかづら 人に知られで くるよしもがな

If it lives up to its name — the vine of Mount Osaka, the hill of meeting — let it bring you to me unseen.

三条右大臣Sanjō no Udaijin
10th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

誰をかも 知る人にせむ 高砂の 松も昔の 友ならなくに

Whom shall I take now as a friend? Even the ancient pine of Takasago is no friend from the old days.

藤原興風Fujiwara no Okikaze
10th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

人はいさ 心も知らず ふるさとは 花ぞ昔の 香に匂ひける

As for people, I cannot know their hearts — but in my old village the blossoms are fragrant as they always were.

紀貫之Ki no Tsurayuki
10th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

恋すてふ わが名はまだき 立ちにけり 人知れずこそ 思ひ初めしか

Rumour that I am in love has gone around already, and I had only just begun to feel it, in secret.

壬生忠見Mibu no Tadami
10th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

由良のとを 渡る舟人 かぢを絶え ゆくへも知らぬ 恋の道かな

Like a boatman crossing the Strait of Yura who has lost his oar — this path of love, with no knowing where it leads.

曾禰好忠曾禰好忠
Unknown
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

かくとだに えやはいぶきの さしも草 さしも知らじな もゆる思ひを

I cannot even tell you this much. Like the moxa of Mount Ibuki, you surely do not know how I burn.

藤原実方朝臣Fujiwara no Sanekata
10th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

明けぬれば 暮るるものとは 知りながら なほうらめしき 朝ぼらけかな

I know that once it dawns the night will come again, and still the daybreak is hateful to me.

藤原道信朝臣Fujiwara no Michinobu
10th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

嘆きつつ ひとり寝る夜の 明くるまは いかに久しき ものとかは知る

Do you know how long it takes for dawn to come, lying alone and grieving through the night?

右大将道綱母Udaishō Michitsuna no Haha
10th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

もろともに あはれと思へ 山桜 花よりほかに 知る人もなし

Mountain cherry, feel for me as I feel for you. Here there is no one who knows me but your blossoms.

前大僧正行尊Saki no Daisōjō Gyōson
11th century
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

長からむ 心も知らず 黒髪の 乱れてけさは 物をこそ思へ

I do not know whether your heart will last, and this morning my black hair is as tangled as my thoughts.

待賢門院堀河待賢門院堀河
Unknown
和歌(百人一首) (Waka (Hyakunin Isshu))

わが袖は 潮干に見えぬ 沖の石の 人こそ知らね 乾くまもなし

My sleeves are the offshore rock that never shows even at low tide: unknown to anyone, never dry for a moment.

二条院讃岐Nijōin no Sanuki
12th century

Anime & Manga

氷菓

Hyouka

anime/manga

Youth mystery trying to 'know' everyday mysteries.

あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない。

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

Anime

A well-known work with 知 in its Japanese title.

スライム倒して300年、知らないうちにレベルMAXになってました

I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level

Anime

A well-known work with 知 in its Japanese title.

神のみぞ知るセカイ

The World God Only Knows

Anime

A well-known work with 知 in its Japanese title.

ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン きっと"愛"を知る日が来るのだろう

Violet Evergarden: Special

Anime

A well-known work with 知 in its Japanese title.

Games

レイトン教授

Professor Layton(2007)

Nintendo DS/3DS

Developer: Level-5

Puzzle adventure 'knowing' and solving mysteries.

View on Amazon →

Related Figures & Stories

平知盛

Taira no Tomomori1152–1185

Name contains 知

Taira no Tomomori was the son of Taira no Kiyomori, and one of the Taira clan's chief commanders in the Genpei War at the end of the Heian period of…

Wikipedia

Similar Kanji

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 知 mean in Japanese?

知 means know, wisdom.

How do you read 知?

On'yomi: チ (CHI). Kun'yomi: し.る、し.らせる (shiru, shiraseru).

How many strokes does 知 have?

知 has 8 strokes. Its radical is 矢 (arrow).

Is 知 a good kanji for a tattoo?

知 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means know, wisdom. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.

Explore by meaning:know · wisdom