差一点儿 (chà yì diǎnr) — how to say "almost" in Chinese

差一点儿

Almost, barely

modal adverb

How to use it

Goes before the verb and shows the speaker's attitude.

我差一点儿摔倒。

wǒ chà yì diǎn ér shuāi dǎo

I almost fell.

Character composition

差

to differ, to lack

一

one

点

point, a bit

儿

erhua suffix

Radicals / Keys

工

Work

#48 · gōng · 3 strokes

火

Fire

#86 · huǒ · 4 strokes

一

One

#1 · yī · 1 stroke

儿

Son, legs

#10 · ér · 2 strokes

Synonyms

Collocations

差一点儿迟到

chà yìdiǎnr chídào

almost be late

差一点儿忘了

chà yìdiǎnr wàng le

almost forget

Examples

他差一点儿没赶上火车。

He barely caught the train.

我差一点儿迟到。

I was almost late.

Writing

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Frequently asked questions

How to say almost in Mandarin?

"almost" in Chinese is 差一点儿 (chà yì diǎnr).

What does 差一点儿 mean in English?

差一点儿 (chà yì diǎnr) means "Almost, barely".

How is 差一点儿 pronounced?

It is pronounced chà yì diǎnr (written as cha yi dianr, chayidianr). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.

How do you write "almost" in Chinese characters?

It is written 差一点儿: 差 has 9 strokes, 一 has 1 stroke, 点 has 9 strokes, 儿 has 2 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.

What HSK 3.0 level is 差一点儿?

差一点儿 is on the HSK 3.0 level 4 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.

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