How to say “on purpose” in Chinese
on purpose
“On purpose” in Chinese is 故意, gù yì: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
故意 is read gù yì: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 古 gǔ “ancient” hints at the sound. 故事 is “past affairs”, that is, a “story”.
Below, 心 “heart”.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “故意”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 故意. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 他故意不告诉我。tāgùyìbúgàosuwǒHe's not telling me on purpose.
- 你怎么又迟到了？是不是故意的？nǐzěnmeyòuchídàole,shìbushìgùyìdeWhy are you late again? Was it on purpose?
- 对不起我不是故意的duìbuqǐ,wǒbúshìgùyìdeSorry, I didn't mean to.
- 他故意转移了话题tāgùyìzhuǎnyílehuàtíHe deliberately changed the subject.
More words from the lesson “Praise and blame”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “on purpose” in Chinese?
“On purpose” in Chinese is 故意, pinyin gùyì.
What does 故意 mean?
故意 (gùyì) means “on purpose”.
How do you write 故意?
故意 is 2 characters: 故 (gù) — former; reason; 意 (yì) — idea, meaning. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 故意?
故意 is read gùyì. Tones: gù — fourth tone, yì — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“on purpose” in the lesson “Praise and blame”
This word is from the topic “Family and loved ones” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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