意思
meaning; idea
HSK level
- Pinyin
- yìsi
- Part of speech
- noun
- Level
- HSK 2
- Strokes
- 22
- Register
- neutral
- Measure word
- 个
Stroke order for 意思
意思 is written with 22 strokes (意: 13, 思: 9). The animation replays automatically.
What does 意思 mean?
意思 (yìsi) is the Chinese noun for 'meaning' — the standard way to ask what a word, sentence, or gesture signifies: 这是什么意思？ ('What does this mean?').
Beyond literal meaning, 意思 has two important secondary uses every learner should know. First, the adjective phrase 有意思 means 'interesting / fun' (这本书很有意思 — 'this book is really interesting'); 没意思 is its opposite ('boring / no fun').
Second, in social contexts 意思 carries a softer 'gesture / token of feeling' sense: 一点小意思 ('just a little something / a small token') is what you say when offering a gift modestly. Pronunciation note: the second 思 is in neutral tone (yìsi, not yìsī), and native speech often shortens it further to yìs.
Character by character
Memory hook: Two characters about thinking — 'thought-thought' becomes the word for 'meaning,' i.e. what someone has in mind.
Example sentences
这个词是什么意思？
Zhège cí shì shénme yìsi?
What does this word mean?
spoken
这本书很有意思。
Zhè běn shū hěn yǒu yìsi.
This book is really interesting.
neutral
我不明白你的意思。
Wǒ bù míngbai nǐ de yìsi.
I don't understand what you mean.
spoken
不好意思，我来晚了。
Bù hǎo yìsi, wǒ lái wǎn le.
Sorry, I'm late.
spoken
Common phrases with 意思
Synonyms
含义 is the formal/written word for 'connotation / implied meaning.' Use it in essays or analysis; in conversation, ask 什么意思.
意义 means 'significance / value' — bigger and more abstract. 这件事的意义 ('the significance of this matter'). 意思 is concrete 'meaning' of words or actions.
Don't confuse 意思 with
Looks similar but means 'significance / importance,' not 'meaning.' Beginners often substitute one for the other; in everyday questions about word meaning, always 意思.
A fixed phrase using 意思 — means 'embarrassed / sorry / excuse me.' It does NOT mean 'no good meaning.' Memorize it as a chunk.
意识 means 'consciousness / awareness' (失去意识 — 'lose consciousness'). Different word, similar pinyin — don't blur them.
Frequently asked questions
Acquire it by listening
Meet 意思 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 意思 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.