射 shè — shoot; fire · English

射

shè

shoot; fire

At a glance · 射

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文象张弓搭箭之形，本义为射箭。小篆讹变从身从寸，作「射」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为以弓发矢。

Structure

会意字，甲骨文象弓矢；小篆从身从寸（手）。

At a glance

Pinyinshè

Radical寸

Strokes10

UnicodeU+5C04

Character type会意

Theme动作

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English shoot; fire To shoot with a bow or gun.

Français tirer; décocher Tirer à l’arc ou au fusil.

Español disparar; tirar Disparar con arco o arma.

العربية يرمي؛ يطلق يرمي بالقوس أو السلاح.

Русский стрелять Стрелять из лука или ружья.

Common words

射shèshoot
射击shè jīshoot

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