Details
Stroke Order
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
arrow + mouth
Words & Expressions
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Anime & Manga
氷菓
Hyouka
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
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
A well-known work with 知 in its Japanese title.
神のみぞ知るセカイ
The World God Only Knows
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
A well-known work with 知 in its Japanese title.
Games
レイトン教授
Professor Layton(2007)
Developer: Level-5
Puzzle adventure 'knowing' and solving mysteries.
View on Amazon →Related Figures & Stories
平知盛
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…
WikipediaOther kanji with the same meaning
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.