是

🇹🇼🇭🇰🇨🇳🇯🇵🇰🇷

be

HSK 1 N1

Communication →Language

shì

ゼ、シ

これ、この、ここ

시

Origin unclear. The bottom component 止 represents the sound.

Components

旦 dawn+ 止 stop =

是 be

旦

dàn dawn

The purpose of this component is unclear.

止 Phonetic component

zhǐ stop

stop, halt, desist

View phonetic series →

Notes

Historical Evolution

Bronze

Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze

Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze

Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze

Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)

Bronze

Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Bronze

Mid Spring and Autumn (~600 BC)

Bronze

Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal

Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal

Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal

Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal

Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal

Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal

Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical

Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

是

Regular

Modern

Chinese

是 [shì]

is; are; am; yes; to be

Japanese

此れ (rare) 、是 (rare) 、之 (rare) 、維 (rare) 、惟 (rare) これ同音

pronoun

usually kana this; this one (indicating an item near the speaker, the action of the speaker, or the current topic)
usually kana this person (usu. indicating someone in one's in-group)
usually kana now; this point (in time) (as これから, これまで, etc.)
datedusually kana here
archaic I; me

adverb

formalusually kana used to stress the subject of a sentence

是ぜ同音

noun righteousness; justice; right

此処 (rare) 、此所 (rare) 、是 (rare) 、茲 (rare) 、爰 (rare) ここ同音

pronoun

usually kana here; this place
usually kana this point; here; now
usually kana these past ... (e.g. three years); these last ... (followed by a duration noun)
usually kana the next ... (e.g. few days); these next ... (followed by a duration noun)