Writing
但是 (dànshì) — how to say "but..." in Chinese
但是
But...
conjunction joining clauses
How to use it
Joins the parts of a complex sentence, often paired with another conjunction.
他很累，但是还在工作。
tā hěn lèi dàn shì hái zài gōng zuò
He is very tired, but he is still working.
Character composition
但
but, however
是
to be, yes
Radicals / Keys
日
Sun
#72 · rì · 4 strokes
人
Man
#9 · rén · 2 strokes
Synonyms
Examples
这家宾馆很好，但是有点贵。
This hotel is very good, but a bit expensive.
我想去但是很忙
I want to go, but I'm very busy.
Mnemonic
[dànshì-] Dan the Sheep dreamed of being a famous astronaut, but 但是 🚀, he was scared of heights. As he looked at the bright moon above, he realized he'd rather be (是) with his sheep pals on earth. So he said, "but 但是 I'll stay here!"
Frequently asked questions
How to say but in Chinese?
"but..." in Chinese is 但是 (dànshì).
但是 meaning in English
但是 (dànshì) means "But...".
But in Chinese pinyin
It is pronounced dànshì (written as danshi). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "but..." in Chinese characters?
It is written 但是: 但 has 7 strokes, 是 has 9 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 但是?
但是 belongs to the HSK 2 vocabulary list.
Tomyo
Learn Chinese words with spaced repetition
Add 但是 to your vocabulary and remember it with smart reviews, audio and examples.