How to say “it's a pity” in Chinese
it's a pity, too bad
“It's a pity” in Chinese is 可惜, kě xī: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
可惜 is read kě xī: 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, 忄 “heart”; on the right, 昔 xī hints at the sound.
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 “可惜”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 可惜. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 太可惜了tàikěxīleWhat a shame!
More words from the lesson “Sadness and regret”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “it's a pity” in Chinese?
“It's a pity” in Chinese is 可惜, pinyin kěxī.
What does 可惜 mean?
可惜 (kěxī) means “it's a pity, too bad”.
How do you write 可惜?
可惜 is 2 characters: 可 (kě) — may, can; 惜 (xī) — pity; cherish. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 可惜?
可惜 is read kěxī. Tones: kě — third tone, xī — first tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“it's a pity” in the lesson “Sadness and regret”
This word is from the topic “Feelings and mood” 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.
Start for free