是 — to be; correct; right
to be; correct; right; true; very well
- Pinyin
- shì
- Strokes
- 9
- HSK level
- HSK 1
- Handwriting
- required
How to write 是: 9 strokes
Each cell adds one stroke to the previous ones, with the new stroke in red. Stroke order is not decoration: it sets the proportions of the character and makes handwriting legible to a reader. This character is on the HSK handwriting list, so the exam expects you to write it, not only recognise it.
Words with 是 in the HSK syllabus: 25
Every word in the official 2026 syllabus that contains this character, with the level it is introduced at. Learning a character pays off through these: each one combines with the characters you already know.
- 是shìto be; correct; right; true; very wellHSK 1
- 但是dànshìbut; howeverHSK 2
- 还是háishistill; had better; unexpectedly; orHSK 2
- 可是kěshìbut; however; indeedHSK 3
- 只是zhǐshìmerely; only; just; nothing but; simplyHSK 3
- 总是zǒngshìalwaysHSK 3
- 就是jiùshìexactly; precisely; only; simply; justHSK 4
- 老是lǎoshìalwaysHSK 4
- 是否shìfǒuwhether; if; is or isn'tHSK 4
- 要是yàoshiifHSK 4
- 于是yúshìthereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; henceHSK 4
- 或是huòshìor; either one or the otherHSK 5
- 要不是yàobúshìif it were not for; but forHSK 5
- 倒是dàoshìcontrary to what one might expect; actuallyHSK 6
- 凡是fánshìeach and every; every; all; anyHSK 6
- 算是suànshìconsidered to be; at lastHSK 6
- 比比皆是bǐbǐ-jiēshìcan be found everywhereHSK 7–9
- 可不是kěbúshiexactly!; indeed; that's for sureHSK 7–9
- 若是ruòshìifHSK 7–9
- 实事求是shíshì-qiúshìlit. to seek truth from factsHSK 7–9
- 是非shìfēiright and wrong; quarrelHSK 7–9
- 似是而非sìshì-érfēiapparently right but actually wrong; speciousHSK 7–9
- 头头是道tóutóu-shìdàoclear and logicalHSK 7–9
- 真是zhēnshiindeed; trulyHSK 7–9
- 自以为是zìyǐwéishìto believe oneself infallible; to be opinionatedHSK 7–9
Glosses come from CC-CEDICT, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, and are the dictionary’s first sense rather than a translation chosen for context.