Writing
原来 (yuánlái) — how to say "originally" in Chinese
原来
Originally, as it turns out
noun · adjective · adverb
Character composition
原
original, cause
来
to come
Radicals / Keys
厂
Cliff
#27 · hǎn · 2 strokes
木
Tree
#75 · mù · 4 strokes
Collocations
原来住这儿
yuánlái zhù zhèr
used to live here
Examples
我找了半天的钥匙，原来它就放在我的书包里，我忘记了。
I searched for my key for a long time, and it turns out it was in my backpack all along, I forgot.
原来如此。
So that's how it is.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "originally" in Chinese?
"originally" in Chinese is 原来 (yuánlái).
原来 meaning in English
原来 (yuánlái) means "Originally, as it turns out".
How is 原来 pronounced?
It is pronounced yuánlái (written as yuanlai). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "originally" in Chinese characters?
It is written 原来: 原 has 10 strokes, 来 has 7 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 原来?
原来 belongs to the HSK 4 vocabulary list.
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