要是 — if
if (colloq.)
How to pronounce it
要是 is read yào shi: 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
Below, 女 “woman”.
On top, 日 “sun”.
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 “要是”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 要是. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 要是堵车，我们就坐地铁。yàoshidǔchē,wǒmenjiùzuòdìtiěIf there's a traffic jam, we'll take the metro.
- 要是路上堵车，我们还来得及吗？yàoshilùshangdǔchē,wǒmenháiláidejímaWhat if there's traffic on the way — will we still make it?
- 要是高速上堵车我们就换乘地铁yàoshigāosùshangdǔchē,wǒmenjiùhuànchéngdìtiěIf the expressway is jammed, we'll switch to the metro.
- 中国的人口流动主要是从农村流向城市。ZhōngguóderénkǒuliúdòngzhǔyàoshìcóngnóngcūnliúxiàngchéngshìIn China, people move mainly from the countryside to the cities.
- 你的工作主要是做什么？nǐdegōngzuòzhǔyàoshìzuòshénmeWhat does your job mainly involve?
- 要是中了大奖，你打算做什么？yàoshizhòngledàjiǎng,nǐdǎsuànzuòshénmeWhat will you do if you win a big prize?
More words from the lesson “Roads and traffic jams”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
What does 要是 mean?
要是 (yàoshi) means “if (colloq.)”.
How do you write 要是?
要是 is 2 characters: 要 (yào) — want; need; 是 (shì) — be. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 要是?
要是 is read yàoshi. Tones: yào — fourth tone, shi — neutral tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“if” in the lesson “Roads and traffic jams”
This word is from the topic “On the road: transportation” 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