shì
Radical no. 1135 strokes

The radical

To show, deity, sacrifice

Variants:

Memory hook

A stone altar laid with offerings. As a left-hand component it becomes 礻 — the meaning is nearly always worship or blessing: 礼 (rite), 祝 (to wish), 福 (fortune), 神 (god).

The radical (read shì) means to show, deity, sacrifice. The HSK 3.0 data contains 17 characters and 138 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.

Practise the 示 radical

Study this radical's 138 words with flashcards or a quiz.

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Characters with the 示 radical

17 characters

HSK 1· 2 characters

HSK 1

piào

ticket

shì

to look at, to watch

HSK 2· 2 characters

HSK 2

shì

to show; to indicate

gift, present

HSK 3· 4 characters

HSK 3

shè

agency, society

zhù

to wish; to express good wishes

shén

god, deity

good fortune; blessing; happiness

HSK 4· 1 characters

HSK 4

jìn

to prohibit, to forbid

HSK 6· 2 characters

HSK 6

ancestor; forefather

xiáng

auspicious; lucky

HSK 7-9· 6 characters

HSK 7-9

to offer sacrifice, to make offerings

to pray, to entreat

to offer sacrifices, to worship (ancestors/spirits)

dǎo

to pray

huò

disaster, calamity

chán

Chan (a school of Buddhism)

Vocabulary with the 示 radical

138 words

Words containing at least one character with the 示 radical, ordered by HSK level.

The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (53/138 words of this radical).

机票
piào

plane ticket

电视
diànshì

television, TV

电视机
diànshì

television, TV set

piào

ticket

车票
chēpiào

bus ticket, train ticket

门票
ménpiào

admission ticket

礼物

gift; present

表示
biǎoshì

to show; to indicate

重视
zhòngshì

to value; to attach importance to

幸福
xìng

happy; blessed

庆祝
qìngzhù

to celebrate; to mark an occasion

影视
yǐngshì

film and television

旅行社
xíngshè

travel agency

显示
xiǎnshì

to show; to indicate

电视剧
diànshì

TV series; television drama

电视台
diànshìtái

television station

社会
shèhuì

society

zhù

to wish; to express good wishes

发票
piào

invoice

婚礼
hūn

wedding

忽视
shì

to overlook, to ignore

暗示
ànshì

to hint, to imply

祝福
zhù

to bless; blessing, wishes

神秘
shén

mysterious

神话
shénhuà

myth, mythology

禁止
jìnzhǐ

to forbid, to prohibit

典礼
diǎn

ceremony, formal ritual

展示
zhǎnshì

to display, to exhibit

彩票
cǎipiào

lottery ticket

指示
zhǐshì

directive, instruction

提示
shì

remind, hint

注视
zhùshì

to stare, to gaze

示范
shìfàn

to demonstrate, to set an example

gift, present

礼拜
bài

week

不禁
jīn

cannot help but, unable to restrain

吉祥
xiáng

auspicious, propitious

投票
tóupiào

to vote; to cast a ballot

礼堂
táng

assembly hall, auditorium

祖国
guó

motherland, homeland

祖母

paternal grandmother

祖父

paternal grandfather

祝愿
zhùyuàn

to wish, good wishes

股票
piào

stock, shares

严禁
yánjìn

to strictly prohibit, to forbid

公示
gōngshì

To publicly announce, to post publicly (information, a list, etc.)

出版社
chūbǎnshè

publishing house

出示
chūshì

to present, to produce for inspection

卫视
wèishì

satellite TV station

合作社
zuòshè

cooperative

吉祥物
xiáng

mascot

启示
shì

inspiration, lesson learned

告示
gàoshì

official notice, public announcement (issued by an authority to the public)

Why learn vocabulary by the 示 radical?

The 示 radical hints at the meaning to show, deity, sacrifice. When you meet an unfamiliar character carrying it, you already know part of its meaning before reaching for a dictionary — which is why learners who know their radicals move faster.

How to study: read the memory hook, skim the 17 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 138 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.

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