An adult male of the lower noble class, fit to serve as a warrior or officer. A scholar, soldier, or respected professional; also a suffix for persons in a field. A broad-shouldered person standing upright: top horizontal stroke longer, base stroke shorter.
土 (tǔ) means earth or soil; 女士 (nǚshì) means lady. The bottom stroke of 士 is longer than that of 土.
士人 is archaic and not used in modern HSK 1 contexts. For 'person', use 人 (rén).
士 (shì) means scholar or gentleman; 土 (tǔ) means earth or soil. The bottom stroke of 士 is longer, while the bottom stroke of 土 is shorter.
These two characters look very similar but have different meanings and pronunciations. 士 appears in words like 女士 (lady) and 先生 (Mr.). 土 appears in words like 土地 (land) and 土豆 (potato). Remember: 士 has a longer bottom stroke; 土 has a shorter bottom stroke.
| Dimension | 士 (shì) | 土 (tǔ) |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | scholar, gentleman, person of rank | earth, soil, land |
| Common words | 女士, 男士, 先生, 学生 | 土地, 土豆, 土星 |
| Stroke difference | Bottom stroke is longer | Bottom stroke is shorter |
| Example | 女士 (lady) | 土豆 (potato) |
No, in modern Mandarin 士 is almost always used as a bound morpheme in compounds like 女士, 男士, 先生, 学生, 医生. It is not used alone in everyday speech.
士 is a bound character, meaning it cannot stand alone as a free word in modern Chinese. It appears only in combination with other characters to form nouns for people with certain roles or professions. For example, 女士 (lady), 男士 (gentleman), 先生 (Mr.), 学生 (student), 医生 (doctor). If you try to use 士 by itself, it will sound incomplete or archaic.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Usage | Use 士 in compounds like 女士, 先生 | Use 士 alone as a standalone word |
| Example | 她是女士。 (She is a lady.) | 她是士。 (unnatural) |
| Alternative | Use 人 for 'person' if needed | 士 alone for 'person' |
Before you read: this is a short rhyming poem. You will meet a doctor who asks about seeing and hearing. Try to spot words you already know!
女士 和 男士 ，男生和女生，先生和学生。
Everyday greetings are a gateway to natural Chinese. Practice time-based hellos like “早上好” and “晚安,” learn to address teachers with the respectful “您,” and see how families skip formalities to speak warmly at home.
先生、 女士 也说“您”。
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