似 sì — to seem; to appear; similar; like; to resemble
这两幅画看起来很相似。Zhè liǎng fú huà kàn qǐ lái hěn xiāng sì.These two paintings look very similar.
Common words: 类似 (lèi sì)、相似 (xiāng sì)、似乎 (sì hū)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to resemble"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to resemble", including 似 (sì), 肖 (xiào / xiāo). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to resemble" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 似 (sì), 肖 (xiào / xiāo) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span sì, xiào, xiāo — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 似 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 似 sìto seem; to appear; similar; like; to resembleUseful words: 类似, 相似
- 肖 xiào / xiāosimilar; resembling; to resemble; to be likeUseful words: 肖像, 不肖
Common words for these 2 "to resemble" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 似 (sì) — so "to resemble" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
类似lèi sìsimilar; analogous相似xiāng sìsimilar; alike似乎sì hūit seems; seemingly; as if肖像xiào xiàngportrait (painting, photo etc); (in a general sense) representation of a person; likeness不肖bù xiào(literary) unlike one's parents; degenerate; unworthy生肖shēng xiàoone of the twelve animals symbolic of the earthly branches 地支; animal from the Chinese zodiac
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to resemble".
肖 xiào / xiāo — similar; resembling; to resemble; to be like
这幅画把老人画得惟妙惟肖。Zhè fú huà bǎ lǎo rén huà de wéi miào wéi xiào.This painting depicts the old man vividly and lifelike.
Common words: 肖像 (xiào xiàng)、不肖 (bù xiào)、生肖 (shēng xiào)
All 2 characters
Open 似、肖 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.