Writing
可以 (kěyǐ) — how to say "can" in Chinese
可以
Can, to be able to (permitted)
modal verb · adjective
How to use it
Goes before another verb.
你可以走了。
nǐ kě yǐ zǒu le
You can go now.
Character composition
可
can, possible
以
to use, with
Radicals / Keys
口
Mouth
#30 · kǒu · 3 strokes
人
Man
#9 · rén · 2 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
可以进来
kěyǐ jìn lái
can come in
可以帮忙
kěyǐ bāng máng
can help
Examples
这里可以拍照，但是别太吵。
You can take photos here, but don't be too noisy.
可以吗
Can I?
Mnemonic
[kěyǐ-] Carrie the Cat 🐱 is in the kitchen, staring at a cookbook with the glowing characters 可以. As she follows the recipe, a 可 "can" of tuna appears, and 以 "with" a magical, swirling spoon, she whips up a feast. With 可以, Carrie realizes she can cook anything she dreams of! 🍽️
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "can" in Chinese?
"can" in Chinese is 可以 (kěyǐ).
可以 meaning in English
可以 (kěyǐ) means "Can, to be able to (permitted)".
Can in Chinese pinyin?
It is pronounced kěyǐ (written as keyi). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "can" in Chinese characters?
It is written 可以: 可 has 5 strokes, 以 has 4 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 可以?
可以 belongs to the HSK 2 vocabulary list.
Tomyo
Learn Chinese words with spaced repetition
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Grammar with 可以
可以 — permission, may
可以 (kěyǐ) + Verb
如果…的话 — if… then…
如果 (rúguǒ)……的话 (de huà)，……
任何 — any, no matter what
任何 (rènhé) + Noun + 都 (dōu) / 也 (yě)…
以上 — at least, or more
Number + 以上 (yǐshàng) (≥) / 以下 (yǐxià) (≤) / 之内 (zhīnèi) (≤) / 之外 (zhīwài) (>)
当然 — of course, obviously
Subj. + 当然 (dāngrán) + Verb / 当然 (dāngrán)， + Subj. + Verb
不是 — not enough, also need
不是 (bú shì) + Action + 就可以了 (jiù kěyǐ le) / 就行了 (jiù xíng le)，还 (hái) / 还是 (háishi) + Further requirement