Meaning and usage
Editorial draft认识 commonly describes familiarity with a person, place, or written character. It can also describe coming to understand something. Compare it with 知道 when the object is a piece of information.
Examples
你她吗？
Do you know her?
这个字我不。
I don't recognize this character.
我们去年的。
We met last year.
Word comparisons
Knowing a person or a fact
我认识她 ( ) says I know her. 我知道她的名字 ( ) says I know her name. The objects make the distinction clear.
Word combinations
meet / get to know friends
not recognize this character
Sources & editorial notes
Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.
Source record: cd-0621546799baf6e7. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.
Original source entry:
認識 认识 [ren4 shi5] /to know/to recognize/to be familiar with/to get acquainted with sb/knowledge/understanding/awareness/cognition/Additional explanations and examples are editorial drafts. They have not received independent linguistic review. Audio uses an available Mandarin device voice, and its quality varies.
Editorial revision: 2026-10-27.1. Examples use tone marks, including common changes in 一 and 不.
Source material and teaching drafts have separate provenance. Long-term commercial licensing remains under review.
Character information
Other forms in these source records: 認識
View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.