How to say “about to” in Chinese

快要
kuàiyào

about to

adverb · HSK 2 · topic “There and back”

“About to” in Chinese is 快要, kuài yào: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

快要 is read kuài yào: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

kuài — 4th tonesharply falling, like “Stop!”
yào — 4th tonesharply falling, like “Stop!”

How to write it

快
kuài — fast; happy

On the left, 忄 “heart”.

要
yào — want; need

Below, 女 “woman”.

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 “快要”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 快要. Tap the sound icon to listen.

  • 我们快要到机场了wǒmenkuàiyàodàojīchǎngleWe're about to arrive at the airport.
  • 快要过年了。kuàiyàoguòniánleNew Year is coming soon.

More words from the lesson “Leaving soon”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “about to” in Chinese?

“About to” in Chinese is 快要, pinyin kuàiyào.

What does 快要 mean?

快要 (kuàiyào) means “about to”.

How do you write 快要?

快要 is 2 characters: 快 (kuài) — fast; happy; 要 (yào) — want; need. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 快要?

快要 is read kuàiyào. Tones: kuài — fourth tone, yào — fourth tone. The page has an audio recording.

“about to” in the lesson “Leaving soon”

This word is from the topic “There and back” of HSK 2. 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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