认 rèn

认 simplified

認 traditional

rèn

to recognize · to know · to acknowledge · to admit · to identify

HSK 1–3 笔画 4 (简) · 14 (繁) 部首讠 (speech) 声旁人 (rén) 声调第四声 (falling)

笔顺 bǐshùn · Stroke order

Click the character to replay. Press Try drawing to write it yourself.

字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure

字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

认 rèn = 讠 (yán, speech) + 人 (rén, person). A pictophonetic compound: 讠 supplies the meaning (something done through speech), 人 supplies the sound (rén → rèn). The traditional form 認 keeps the same logic with the full speech radical and 忍 (rěn) carrying the sound.

The semantic core is recognition spoken aloud. To 认 someone or something is to look, register what it is, and say so: "yes, that's the one," "yes, I know him," "yes, I did it." This is why a single character covers what English splits into several distinct verbs — recognize a face, acknowledge a fact, admit a mistake, identify an object, claim a relationship. All of them are versions of seeing-and-saying-so.

Three semantic clusters fall out of this:

1. Recognition — 认识 rènshi (to know a person), 认得 rènde (to recognize on sight), 认出 rènchū (to identify by spotting). Knowing-something-when-you-see-it.
2. Acknowledgment — 承认 chéngrèn (to admit, concede), 认错 rèncuò (to admit a mistake), 认输 rènshū (to concede defeat), 否认 fǒurèn (to deny). Owning up, or refusing to.
3. Earnestness — 认真 rènzhēn (to take seriously). Recognizing the 真 of a thing and treating it accordingly.

构词 gòucí Word-Formation Patterns

构词规律 gòucí guīlǜ · Three Templates 认 + perception verb → 认识 recognize-know · 认得 recognize-get · 认出 recognize-out (spot)
认 + state/outcome → 认错 admit-wrong · 认输 admit-defeat · 认账 acknowledge-debt
verb + 认 → 承认 carry-acknowledge (admit) · 否认 deny-acknowledge (deny) · 默认 silent-acknowledge (acquiesce)

认识 rènshí Recognition — Knowing by Sight

认识 rènshi to know (a person, a place, a character); knowledge, understanding

V/N 动名词

认 rèn + 识 shí (to know; to discern). The standard verb for knowing-by-acquaintance: knowing someone, knowing a place, knowing a character. As a noun, it means understanding or grasp of a topic.

很高兴认识你。

Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.

Nice to meet you. (lit. "very happy to know you")

我认识这个字。

Wǒ rènshi zhège zì.

I know this character.

他对这个问题有深刻的认识。

Tā duì zhège wèntí yǒu shēnkè de rènshi.

He has a deep understanding of this issue. [noun use]

辨析 biànxī · 认识 vs. 知道认识 = know-by-acquaintance. Used for people, places, characters: things you can recognize on sight. 知道 zhīdào = know-as-information. Used for facts. 我认识他 "I know him (we've met)." 我知道他 "I know of him (I've heard the name)."

认得 rènde to recognize, to be able to identify

V 动词 dòngcí

认 rèn + 得 de (potential complement: be able to). Able to recognize. Slightly more colloquial than 认识 and emphasizes the act of recognition rather than ongoing acquaintance. The negative 不认得 "don't recognize" is very common.

这条路我认得。

Zhè tiáo lù wǒ rènde.

I know this road (I can find my way).

好多年没见，差点不认得你了。

Hǎo duō nián méi jiàn, chàdiǎn bù rènde nǐ le.

I haven't seen you in years; I almost didn't recognize you.

认出 rènchū to spot, to pick out, to identify (from a group or after a delay)

V 动词 dòngcí

认 rèn + 出 chū (out; resultative: to come into view). The act of identification — picking someone out of a crowd, recognizing a familiar face after years apart, identifying a body. The 出 marks the moment recognition crystallizes.

我一眼就认出了他。

Wǒ yī yǎn jiù rènchū le tā.

I recognized him at a glance.

这首歌我一听就认出来了。

Zhè shǒu gē wǒ yī tīng jiù rènchū lái le.

I recognized this song the moment I heard it.

承认 chéngrèn Acknowledgment — Owning Up

承认 chéngrèn to admit, to acknowledge, to recognize formally

V 动词 dòngcí

承 chéng (to bear; to receive; to assume) + 认 rèn. To shoulder the recognition of something — a fact, a fault, a state's legitimacy. Spans personal admission ("I admit I was wrong") and formal recognition (one country recognizing another diplomatically).

我承认自己错了。

Wǒ chéngrèn zìjǐ cuò le.

I admit I was wrong.

这家公司被国际社会承认。

Zhè jiā gōngsī bèi guójì shèhuì chéngrèn.

This company is recognized by the international community.

否认 fǒurèn to deny, to refuse to acknowledge

V 动词 dòngcí

否 fǒu (negation; to deny) + 认 rèn. The structural opposite of 承认. To formally refuse the recognition: to deny an accusation, deny an affair, deny a relationship.

他否认了所有指控。

Tā fǒurèn le suǒyǒu zhǐkòng.

He denied all the accusations.

认错 rèncuò to admit one's mistake; (also) to mistake one thing for another

V 动词 dòngcí

认 rèn + 错 cuò (wrong; mistake). Two readings split by context. To acknowledge a mistake: 我向你认错 "I admit my mistake to you." To mistake X for Y: 我认错人了 "I had the wrong person" (lit. "recognized-wrong the person").

他从不肯认错。

Tā cóng bù kěn rèncuò.

He never admits when he's wrong.

对不起，我认错人了。

Duìbuqǐ, wǒ rèncuò rén le.

Sorry, I mistook you for someone else.

认输 rènshū to concede defeat; to give in

V 动词 dòngcí

认 rèn + 输 shū (to lose). To acknowledge a loss — in a game, an argument, a contest of will. The negative 不认输 "refuses to give in" is one of the standard ways of praising tenacity.

他从不轻易认输。

Tā cóng bù qīngyì rènshū.

He never gives in easily.

默认 mòrèn to tacitly acknowledge; (computing) default

V/N 动名词

默 mò (silent) + 认 rèn. Silent acknowledgment — agreeing by not objecting, acquiescing without explicit confirmation. In computing and modern Chinese tech vocabulary, the same word means "default": 默认设置 mòrèn shèzhì = "default settings."

他没说反对，就算默认了。

Tā méi shuō fǎnduì, jiù suàn mòrèn le.

He didn't object, so it counted as tacit consent.

使用默认设置就行。

Shǐyòng mòrèn shèzhì jiù xíng.

Just use the default settings.

认真 rènzhēn Earnestness — Recognizing the Real

语义洞见 yǔyì dòngjiàn · Semantic Insight

The compound 认真 rènzhēn — "to recognize the 真" — is the single most useful 认-word in adult life. It is the everyday adjective and adverb for taking something seriously: studying earnestly, doing a job conscientiously, treating a person's words as worth weighing rather than skimming past.

The construction is worth pausing on. 认真 is not "to be serious" abstractly. It is to recognize the 真 of the thing — to register that it has its own truth, its own nature, and to engage with it on those terms instead of going through motions. This is why 认真 is a moral compliment in Chinese in a way that "serious" is not in English: it implies that the person has seen the 真 that others miss.

For the full vocabulary of conscientiousness, opposites (马虎, 随便), and the tonal range of 认真 in praise, criticism, and gentle teasing: see the 认真 entry →

其他 qítā Other Key 认-Compounds

认为 rènwéi to think, to hold the view that, to consider

V 动词 dòngcí

认 rèn + 为 wéi (to be; to take as). To recognize-as. The standard verb for expressing a considered opinion or assessment, more deliberate than 觉得 juéde (to feel that). Used in writing, formal speech, and reasoned argument.

我认为这个方案最合适。

Wǒ rènwéi zhège fāng'àn zuì héshì.

I think this plan is the most suitable.

辨析 biànxī · 认为 vs. 觉得认为 = considered judgment, often after weighing (formal). 觉得 = subjective impression, gut sense (casual). 我认为他错了 "I judge that he's wrong." 我觉得他错了 "I feel he's wrong."

认同 rèntóng to identify with; to agree with; identification

V/N 动名词

认 rèn + 同 tóng (same; to be one with). To recognize as one's own — the verb behind identification in the social and psychological sense. 身份认同 shēnfèn rèntóng = identity (in the sense of self-identification with a group).

我很认同他的观点。

Wǒ hěn rèntóng tā de guāndiǎn.

I strongly identify with / agree with his view.

认定 rèndìng to firmly believe; to be certain that; to officially determine

V 动词 dòngcí

认 rèn + 定 dìng (fixed; settled). Settled recognition. Two registers: personal conviction ("I'm certain that…") and official determination (a court, a regulatory body officially classifying something). Stronger and more committed than 认为.

我认定他就是凶手。

Wǒ rèndìng tā jiùshì xiōngshǒu.

I'm convinced he's the killer.

法院认定他无罪。

Fǎyuàn rèndìng tā wú zuì.

The court determined him to be innocent.

公认 gōngrèn universally acknowledged; generally recognized

V 动词 dòngcí

公 gōng (public; common) + 认 rèn. Publicly recognized. The word for consensus recognition: a writer is 公认 the best of her generation; a fact is 公认 to be true.

他是公认的天才。

Tā shì gōngrèn de tiāncái.

He's a universally acknowledged genius.

认命 rènmìng to resign oneself to fate; to accept what is given

V 动词 dòngcí

认 rèn + 命 mìng (fate; lot; what Heaven decrees). To acknowledge one's fate. The act of accepting what cannot be changed — sometimes wisdom (Confucian 知命), sometimes resignation (giving up the fight). Tone depends on context.

这就是命，我认命了。

Zhè jiùshì mìng, wǒ rènmìng le.

This is fate; I accept it.

认账 rènzhàng to acknowledge a debt; to own up to a commitment

V 动词 dòngcí

认 rèn + 账 zhàng (account; bill; debt). To acknowledge the account. Originally and literally a debt; figuratively, any commitment one is held to. The negative 不认账 "to refuse to own up" is the standard accusation against someone who reneges.

说过的话要认账。

Shuōguò de huà yào rènzhàng.

You have to stand by what you said.

成语 chéngyǔ Idioms & Set Phrases

六亲不认 liù qīn bù rèn to disown all six kinships — utterly cold-blooded, recognizing no family bond Lit: six-relatives-not-recognize. The classical six kinships are father, mother, elder brother, younger brother, wife, child. Said of someone who in the pursuit of power or self-interest will not even acknowledge their own kin.

认祖归宗 rèn zǔ guī zōng to acknowledge one's ancestors and return to the lineage — to claim one's roots Lit: recognize-ancestors-return-clan. Said when an estranged descendant comes back to claim ancestry, or figuratively when someone returns to first principles, native culture, or original tradition.

认贼作父 rèn zéi zuò fù to take a thief for one's father — to side with the very person who has wronged you Lit: recognize-thief-as-father. A stinging accusation: that one has gone over to the enemy or oppressor, mistaking the source of harm for a benefactor.

死不认账 sǐ bù rèn zhàng to refuse to own up to one's debts even in death — utterly unwilling to acknowledge fault Lit: die-not-recognize-account. Said of someone who, when caught out, doubles down rather than admitting anything. The 死 here is "to-the-death," intensifying the refusal.

记忆法 jìyìfǎ · Master Retention Image

Picture 认 as looking and saying-so. The 讠 (speech radical) makes the saying part visible: every 认-word is recognition committed in speech. You see a face and say the name (认识). You see the mistake and say it was yours (认错). You see the loss and say you've lost (认输). You see the truth of a thing and treat it as it is (认真).

The negation 不认 is therefore not just "I don't know" but "I refuse to say so" — the active withholding of recognition. 不认错 is not failing to see the mistake but refusing to name it as one's own. The whole moral weight of the character lives in this gap between seeing and saying.