Chinese character for world: 世界 (shìjiè)
The Chinese word for world is 世界 (shìjiè). It means the world, as in 全世界 (quán shìjiè, the whole world) and 世界和平 (world peace). 世 means generation or era and 界 means boundary or realm.
How 世界 is built
世 (shì) is built from three 十 (ten) joined together, meaning thirty years, one generation, as a standard explanation. 界 (jiè) has 田 (field) on top and 介 (jiè) below, which gives the sound; it first meant the boundary between fields. As a memory aid, 世界 is all the generations of time and all the boundaries of land: the world. Both are identical in both scripts.
世 shì · generation
- 廿niàn — twenty
- 廾gǒng — two hands
- 一 — horizontal stroke
Origin hint: Three leaves on a branch (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
界 jiè · boundary
- 田tián — field
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 土tǔ — earth
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 介jiè — agent
- 人rén — person
Origin hint: 田 gives the meaning, 介 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 世界 is used
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 世界 is identical in simplified and traditional and reads naturally on its own.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for world?
世界 (shìjiè) means “world”.
How do you pronounce 世界?
世界 is pronounced shìjiè.