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HSK 4

熟悉

to be familiar with; to know well

verbneutral1 episode
熟
shú2nd tone
悉
xī1st tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
shúxī
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 4
Strokes
26
Register
neutral
In episodes
1

Stroke order for 熟悉

熟悉 is written with 26 strokes (熟: 15, 悉: 11). The animation replays automatically.

What does 熟悉 mean?

熟悉 (shúxī) is a verb (also used adjectivally) meaning to be familiar with, to know well, or to acquaint oneself with something or someone.

It is neutral and extremely common in both speech and writing. Unlike English 'familiar,' which is only an adjective, 熟悉 works as a transitive verb: you can 熟悉一个城市 (get to know / become familiar with a city) or 熟悉工作 (learn the ropes of a job). It takes a direct object with no preposition — 我熟悉这里 (I'm familiar with this place), where English needs 'with.'

熟悉 implies real, experience-based familiarity, not a passing acquaintance: knowing a person 熟悉 means you know them well, not that you've just met. The negative 不熟悉 or the shorter 不熟 (bù shú) means you don't know something or someone well.

Character by character

熟shúfamiliar; ripe; cooked; skilled
+
悉xīto know; to be aware of
=
熟悉

Memory hook: 熟 (ripe/well-done) + 悉 (know) — you know it so well it's fully 'cooked' in your mind.

Hear 熟悉 in real episodes

熟悉 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

London Children Called It the Bubble Bus. The Operator Stopped Him Over "Safety Concerns" It Still Will Not Explain.熟悉 spoken at natural speednormal
Browse the full episode library

Example sentences

我对这个城市很熟悉。

Wǒ duì zhège chéngshì hěn shúxī.

I'm very familiar with this city.

neutral

他的声音听起来很熟悉。

Tā de shēngyīn tīng qǐlái hěn shúxī.

His voice sounds familiar.

spoken

新员工需要一周来熟悉工作。

Xīn yuángōng xūyào yì zhōu lái shúxī gōngzuò.

New employees need a week to get familiar with the job.

neutral

我们还不太熟悉，多聊聊吧。

Wǒmen hái bú tài shúxī, duō liáoliáo ba.

We don't know each other well yet, let's chat more.

spoken

Common phrases with 熟悉

很熟悉hěn shúxīvery familiar
熟悉环境shúxī huánjìngto get familiar with the surroundings
熟悉的人shúxī de rénsomeone one knows well
不太熟悉bú tài shúxīnot very familiar

Synonyms

了解liǎojiě

了解 is to understand or know about something in depth (facts, a situation, a person's character). 熟悉 is familiarity from repeated contact. You can be 熟悉 a place (been there often) without 了解 it (understanding it deeply).

认识rènshi

认识 means to be acquainted with / to recognize — the first step. 熟悉 is deeper familiarity. You 认识 someone after meeting once; you 熟悉 them after knowing them a while.

Don't confuse 熟悉 with

熟练shúliàn

熟练 means skilled / proficient at doing something (a skill you've practiced). 熟悉 means familiar with / knowing something. You're 熟练 at driving; you're 熟悉 with the roads.

认识rènshi

认识 is just to know / recognize someone. 熟悉 is a stronger, well-acquainted familiarity. Don't use 熟悉 for a brand-new introduction — use 认识.

FAQ

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Acquire it by listening

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