识
shì · HSK 6
know
🔍 讠+ 只 = speech + only: you only speak what you truly know
The speech radical 讠ties knowing to words and language. 只 means only — real recognition means narrowing down to what you can confirm aloud.
识 — speech radical 讠 + 只 zhī (phonetic)
识 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The speech radical 讠 (言) signals meaning related to words or knowing, while 只 hints at the sound. Originally written 識 with 戠, it meant 'to recognize' or 'know'; later it broadened to include knowledge and awareness.