How to say “long” in Chinese
long (time)
“Long” in Chinese is 久, jiǔ: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
久 is read jiǔ. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
It sounds the same as 九 “nine” and 酒 “alcohol”.
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 “久”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 久. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 你等了多久？nǐděngleduōjiǔHow long did you wait?
- 让你久等了。ràngnǐjiǔděngleSorry to keep you waiting.
- 我好久没看电影了wǒhǎojiǔméikàndiànyǐngleI haven't seen a movie in ages.
- 好久不见！hǎojiǔbújiànLong time no see!
- 你来中国多久了？nǐláiZhōngguóduōjiǔleHow long have you been in China?
- 我们好久没见面了wǒmenhǎojiǔméijiànmiànleLong time no see.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “How long?”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “long” in Chinese?
“Long” in Chinese is 久, pinyin jiǔ.
What does 久 mean?
久 (jiǔ) means “long (time)”.
How do you write 久?
久 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 久?
久 is read jiǔ. Tones: jiǔ — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“long” in the lesson “How long?”
This word is from the topic “Seasons and time” of HSK 3. 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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