識

Know How to

Level 1Sounds Like sik1

識 (sik1) is the primary way to say 'know' in Cantonese when referring to a skill you have learned (like a language or a sport) or a person you are acquainted with.

How It Works

1. Learned Abilities
Use 識 (sik1) before a verb to show you have the knowledge or skill to perform that action. Common examples include driving or swimming. For languages, you can use 識 before the verb 講 (gong2 - to speak), or directly before the language as a noun. A very common phrase for learners is 識聽唔識講 (sik1 teng1 m4 sik1 gong2 - I know how to listen/understand, but I don't know how to speak).
Examples: 我識講廣東話 (I know how to speak Cantonese), 我識廣東話 (I know Cantonese).

2. Acquaintance, Recognition, and Meeting People
Use 識 (sik1) before a noun to show you are familiar with a person or a specific item (like a Chinese character, forming the set phrase 識字 sik1 zi6 for 'literate'). Note that for people, 識 (sik1) implies personal acquaintance. For example, saying 我識成龍 (I know Jackie Chan) implies you have actually met him and know him personally, not just that you know who he is! It is also the standard verb for the action of meeting or getting to know someone, often paired with the resultative complement 到 (dou2) or the perfective aspect marker 咗 (zo2) to mean 'made a friend' or 'got to know'. When used with locations or the word 'road' (路 lou6), it specifically means knowing the route or how to get there.
Examples: 我唔識路 (I don't know the way), 好開心識到你 (Nice to meet you), 識新朋友 (To make new friends), 我尋日識咗個新朋友 (I made a new friend yesterday).

3. 識 (sik1) vs. 識得 (sik1 dak1)
You will often hear 識得 (sik1 dak1) used interchangeably with 識 (sik1). They are largely interchangeable for both skills and people, though 識得 (sik1 dak1) is very common when referring to people as it provides a better rhythmic balance in the sentence.

4. Idiomatic Usage: 'Sensible' and 'Tactful'
Common phrases include 識諗 (sik1 nam2), which literally means 'know how to think' but is used to mean someone is 'sensible' or 'mature', and 識做 (sik1 zou6), meaning 'tactful' or 'knowing the right thing to do in a social situation'.

5. Degree Modifiers
You can place degree modifiers like 好 (hou2) directly before 識 (sik1) to emphasize that someone is very good at a skill.
Example: 佢好識講嘢 (He is very good at talking / very eloquent).

6. Negation
To say you 'don't know how' or 'don't know someone', use 唔 (m4) before 識 (sik1).
Example: 我唔識佢 (I don't know him).

7. Questions
To ask if someone knows how to do something, use the V-唔-V pattern: 識唔識 (sik1 m4 sik1).
Example: 你識唔識游水呀？ (Do you know how to swim?)

8. 識 (sik1) vs. 知道 (zi1 dou3)
A common mistake is confusing 識 (sik1) with 知道 (zi1 dou3). Use 識 (sik1) for learned skills, recognizing people, or knowing a route. Use 知道 (zi1 dou3) or just 知 (zi1) for knowing facts, information, or being aware of a situation. (Note for speakers of Romance languages: this distinction roughly matches connaître vs. savoir in French, or conocer vs. saber in Spanish).
Example: 我知佢係邊個 (I know who he is - fact), but 我唔識佢 (I don't know him - acquaintance).

Examples (6)

  1. 我識講廣東話。

    I know how to speak Cantonese.

    Word by Word: I know-how-to speak Canton language.

    識 (sik1) is used here because speaking a language is a learned skill.

  2. 佢唔識揸車。

    He doesn't know how to drive.

    Word by Word: He not know-how-to drive car.

    Negating 識 (sik1) with 唔 (m4) indicates a lack of that specific learned skill.

  3. 你識唔識佢呀？

    Do you know him?

    Word by Word: You know not know him [particle]?

    Using the 識唔識 (sik1 m4 sik1) pattern is the most common way to ask a 'yes or no' question about acquaintance.

  4. 我唔識路。

    I don't know the way.

    Word by Word: I not know road.

    When used with locations or 'road' (路 lou6), 識 (sik1) means knowing the route or how to get there.

  5. 我唔識呢個字。

    I don't know (recognize) this character.

    Word by Word: I not know this [classifier] character.

    識 (sik1) is used for 'knowing' in the sense of recognition.

  6. 我知件事，但我唔識做。

    I know about the matter, but I don't know how to do it.

    Word by Word: I know [classifier] matter, but I not know-how-to do.

    知 (zi1) is used for knowing facts or information, while 識 (sik1) is used for knowing how to perform the action.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 會 (wui5) when you mean ‘know how to’.

    Different Meaning我會講廣東話。
    我識講廣東話。

    我會講廣東話 is a good sentence, and 會 (wui5) can name a skill. But 會 mostly means ‘will’, and 識 (sik1) is the usual word for ‘know how to’, so 我識講廣東話 is the more natural choice.

  • Using 識 (sik1) for factual information.

    我識佢喺邊度。
    我知道佢喺邊度。

    For facts or information (like knowing where someone is), use 知 (zi1) or 知道 (zi1 dou3) instead of 識 (sik1).

  • Using 唔識 to say you cannot walk because of an injury.

    Different Meaning我唔識行路。
    我隻腳痛，行唔郁。

    我唔識行路 is a good sentence, but it means you never learned to walk, like a baby. If your leg hurts and you cannot move, say 行唔郁 (haang4 m4 juk1).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

識Level 1Know How to

Learn This First

To understand '識' (know how to), you need to be able to form basic sentences with pronouns and understand how to negate verbs using '唔'. Since '識' functions as an auxiliary verb, basic word order knowledge is essential for its placement.

Words in This Pattern

识