How to say “still” in Chinese

依然

yīrán

still, as before

adverb · HSK 5 · topic “Time: at once and little by little”

“Still” in Chinese is 依然, yī rán: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

依然 is read yī rán: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

yī — 1st tonehigh and level, like a long note

rán — 2nd tonerising, like a surprised “huh?”

How to write it

依

yī — rely on; according to

On the left, 亻 “person”; on the right, 衣 yī “clothes” hints at the reading.

然

rán — so; however

At the bottom, 灬 “fire”.

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 “依然”.

Examples

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

十年过去了，这里的一切依然没有变。shíniánguòqùle,zhèlǐdeyíqièyīránméiyǒubiànTen years have passed, and everything here is still the same.

More words from the lesson “Ten whole years”

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

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “still” in Chinese?

“Still” in Chinese is 依然, pinyin yīrán.

What does 依然 mean?

依然 (yīrán) means “still, as before”.

How do you write 依然?

依然 is 2 characters: 依 (yī) — rely on; according to; 然 (rán) — so; however. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 依然?

依然 is read yīrán. Tones: yī — first tone, rán — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“still” in the lesson “Ten whole years”

This word is from the topic “Time: at once and little by little” of HSK 5. 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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