射

shè
#702 most
frequent character
shoot, fire, discharge in a jet
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

射 started as a picture: a hand 寸 pulling back a bow with an arrow. That gave the meaning 'to shoot an arrow'. Over time the bow and arrow shapes merged into 身, now an empty part, and the meaning simply broadened to 'to shoot'.

Drawn as: hand pulling a bow; bow and arrow

射 as a component in other characters

sound3 characters
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Example Sentences

他每天都去射箭。
tā měitiān dūqù shèjiàn 。
He goes archery every day.
太阳射出的光很刺眼。
tàiyáng shèchū de guāng hěn cìyǎn 。
The light emitted by the sun is very dazzling.
警察射击了逃跑的嫌疑犯。
jǐngchá shèjī le táopǎo de xiányífàn 。
The police shot at the fleeing suspect.

Same Characters, Different Readings

射shè
shoot, fire, discharge in a jet

Words with similar meanings

开枪kāiqiāng
to shoot
More specific to firing a gun rather than shooting in general.
放射fàngshè
to emit
Often used in contexts involving light or energy emission.

Homophones

社shè
society, organized body
拾shè
to ascend in light steps
设shè
to set up, to put in place
舍shè
(bound form) residence, house
摄shè
(bound form) to take in, to absorb

Words Starting With 射

射击shè jī
to shoot; to fire (a gun)

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