Writing
却 (què) — how to say "but" in Chinese
却
But, however
linking adverb
How to use it
Goes after the subject, before the verb — not at the start like a conjunction.
他却不同意。
tā què bù tóng yì
He, however, disagrees.
Radicals / Keys
卩
Seal (device)
#26 · jié · 2 strokes
Synonyms
Examples
他虽然学习很努力，每天花很多时间看书，考试成绩却一直不太理想，这让他很失望。
Although he studies very hard, spending a lot of time reading books every day, his exam results have not been ideal, which disappoints him greatly.
我想去，却没钱。
I want to go, but I have no money.
Frequently asked questions
But in Chinese Mandarin
"but" in Chinese is 却 (què).
What does 却 mean in English?
却 (què) means "But, however".
But in Chinese pinyin
It is pronounced què (written as que). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "but" in Chinese characters?
It is written 却 and has 7 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 却?
却 belongs to the HSK 4 vocabulary list.
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Grammar with 却
却 — however, yet
⋯⋯，却 (què)⋯⋯
反而 vs 却 — contrary to expectation vs but
反而 (fǎn'ér): contrary to expectation / 却 (què): however, but
明明 — obviously, clearly
明明 (míngmíng) + Fact, [却 (què)/可是 (kěshì) + Contradiction / Rhetorical question]
放着 — leaving something unused
放着 (fàngzhe) + X + 不 (bù) + Y
极度 vs 极力 vs 万分 — degree and effort
极度 (jídù) / 万分 (wànfēn) + Adj./stative Verb; 极力 (jílì) + action Verb
非 — neither A nor B
非 (fēi) + Noun/Adj. A + 非 (fēi) + Noun/Adj. B