的话 (de huà) — how to say "if" in Chinese

的话

If

particle

Character composition

的

possessive particle

话

speech

Radicals / Keys

白

White

#106 · bái · 5 strokes

言

Speech

#149 · yán · 7 strokes

Synonyms

Examples

如果你有时间的话,我们可以一起吃饭。

If you have time, we can eat together.

如果这样的话,我就去。

If so, I will go.

Mnemonic

Mnemonic for 的话 (de huà) — if

[de huà-] De, a little gnome, says, "If it rains — 的话, I will stay home." He puts 的话 after the condition and smiles. 🧙‍♂️☔

Writing

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say "if" in Chinese?

"if" in Chinese is 的话 (de huà).

的话 meaning in English

的话 (de huà) means "If".

How is 的话 pronounced?

It is pronounced de huà (written as de hua, dehua). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.

How do you write "if" in Chinese characters?

It is written 的话: 的 has 8 strokes, 话 has 8 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.

What HSK 3.0 level is 的话?

的话 is on the HSK 3.0 level 3 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.

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Grammar with 的话

More HSK 3.0 level 3 words