你好
Nǐ hǎo
Hello
是 (shì) — how to say "to be" in Chinese
是
To be, yes
Radicals / Keys
日
Sun
#72 · rì · 4 strokes
Collocations
是学生
shì xuésheng
to be a student
Examples
我是学生，你是老师吗？
I am a student, are you a teacher?
我是学生
I am a student.
Mnemonic
[shì-] Shih Tzu, the little dog, stumbles upon a golden medal with the character 是 engraved on it! He barks: "是 I'm the world champion!" 🏆 Suddenly, he notices the horizontal line 一 on the medal and jumps with joy, feeling like 是 the most important being in the world.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "to be" in Chinese?
"to be" in Chinese is 是 (shì).
What does 是 mean in English?
是 (shì) means "To be, yes".
How is 是 pronounced?
It is pronounced shì (written as shi). The page has audio recorded by a native speaker.
How do you write "to be" in Chinese characters?
It is written 是.
What HSK level is 是?
是 belongs to the HSK 1 vocabulary list.
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