(shí)

HSK 29 strokes
Readingsshí

to eat

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
shí / sì / yì
Meaning
to eat; food; animal feed; eclipse
Strokes
9
HSK level
HSK 2
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where comes from and how its parts fit together.

Pictograph⿱人良

A dish of food 良 with a lid on top 人

A drawing of the thing it names.

Made of

Parts are arranged top to bottom.

How to write step by step

9 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9

Words with

Common words using — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

zhǔshí
HSK 7-9

staple food

Open 主食 page →
huǒshí
HSK 7-9

food; meals

Open 伙食 page →

(idiom) to skip one's sleep and meals; to be completely wrapped up in one's work

Open 废寝忘食 page →
shí

to beg for food

Open 乞食 page →

lit. to have only nine meals in thirty days (idiom)

Open 三旬九食 page →
piānshí

partial to (some kinds of food, usu. unhealthy)

Open 偏食 page →
quánshí

total eclipse

Open 全食 page →

Related characters

Ready to master 食?

Trace 食 stroke by stroke in the online practice tool, or turn it into a printable worksheet PDF with Tianzige practice grids, pinyin, and stroke-order breakdowns.