Meaning
10 pecks; rock; stone
Chinese: 石头；读 dàn 时作容量单位。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “shi” becomes a different word in each tone. 石 is the 2nd tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 石油shí yóuoil; petroleum
- 石头shí toustone
- 宝石bǎo shíprecious stone; gem
- 化石huà shífossil
- 钻石zuàn shídiamond
Example Sentence
小河里有很多光滑的石头。Xiǎo hé lǐ yǒu hěn duō guāng huá de shí tou.There are many smooth stones in the little river.
小河Xiǎo hécreek里lǐinside有yǒuto have很hěnvery多duōmany光滑guāng huáglossy的deof石头shí toustone。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
A cliff (the 厂 shape) with a rock (口) lying beneath it — a stone fallen from a cliff. It means ‘stone / rock’.
A way to remember it
A rock resting under an overhanging cliff.
Easy to confuse with
- 右‘Right (side)’: a hand shape over 口, not a cliff.