How to say “can” in Chinese
can, know how to
“Can” in Chinese is 会, huì: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
会 is read huì. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
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 “会”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 会. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 你会说汉语吗nǐhuìshuōHànyǔmaCan you speak Chinese?
- 我会说一点儿wǒhuìshuōyìdiǎnrI can speak a little.
- 我会说一点儿中文wǒhuìshuōyìdiǎnrZhōngwénI can speak a little Chinese.
- 我学汉语会说一点儿wǒxuéHànyǔ,huìshuōyìdiǎnrI’m learning Chinese and can speak a little.
- 你会做饭吗？nǐhuìzuòfànmaCan you cook?
- 你会开车吗nǐhuìkāichēmaCan you drive?
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Do you speak Chinese?”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “can” in Chinese?
“Can” in Chinese is 会, pinyin huì.
What does 会 mean?
会 (huì) means “can, know how to”.
How do you write 会?
会 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 会?
会 is read huì. Tones: huì — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“can” in the lesson “Do you speak Chinese?”
This word is from the topic “Meeting people” of HSK 1. 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.
Start for free