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意思yì simeaning

HSK 2word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

意思 (yì si) means "meaning," as in 这个字是什么意思 (What does this character mean), 我不明白你的意思 (I don't understand your meaning) and 你知道这个字的意思吗 (Do you know the meaning of this character). In all three, 意思 means meaning. This entry covers this one sense.

What does 意思 mean?

  1. 1.

    meaningnoun

What do the characters in 意思 mean?

  • 意meaning
  • 思not compositional here

How do you use 意思?

See it in 这个字是什么意思, 我不明白你的意思 and 你知道这个字的意思吗.

Patterns

  • ……是什么意思?

    这个字是什么意思?

    Zhège zì shì shénme yì si?

    What does this character mean?

What are some examples of 意思 in a sentence?

  1. 这个字是什么意思?

    Zhège zì shì shénme yìsi?

    What does this character mean?

  2. 我不明白你的意思。

    Wǒ bù míngbai nǐ de yìsi.

    I don't understand your meaning.

  3. 你知道这个字的意思吗?

    Nǐ zhīdào zhège zì de yìsi ma?

    Do you know the meaning of this character?

How is 意思 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    这个字是什么意思?

    Zhège zì shì shénme yìsi?

    What does this character mean?

  2. Speaker B:

    我也不知道。

    Wǒ yě bù zhīdào.

    I don't know either.

  3. Speaker A:

    我们去问老师吧。

    Wǒmen qù wèn lǎoshī ba.

    Let's go ask the teacher.

  4. Speaker B:

    好。

    Hǎo.

    OK.

Can you use 意思 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: 这个字是什么___? (What does this character mean?)
  2. 2.What does 我不明白你的意思。 mean?
  3. 3.What does 意思 mean?

What should you learn next?

English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.