How to say “maybe” in Chinese
maybe
“Maybe” in Chinese is 也许, yě xǔ: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
也许 is read yě xǔ: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
Two third tones in a row: the first one is said as a second tone, but it is still written as a third.
How to write it
On the left, 讠 “speech”; on the right, 午 wǔ “noon” 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 “也许”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 也许. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 也许明天会下雨。yěxǔmíngtiānhuìxiàyǔMaybe it'll rain tomorrow.
- 也许他只是太紧张了yěxǔtāzhǐshìtàijǐnzhāngleMaybe he was just too nervous.
More words from the lesson “Stress and rest”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “maybe” in Chinese?
“Maybe” in Chinese is 也许, pinyin yěxǔ.
What does 也许 mean?
也许 (yěxǔ) means “maybe”.
How do you write 也许?
也许 is 2 characters: 也 (yě) — also, too; 许 (xǔ) — allow; maybe. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 也许?
也许 is read yěxǔ. Tones: yě — third tone, xǔ — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“maybe” in the lesson “Stress and rest”
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.
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