kuài

Origin & Mnemonic:

Pleased, joyful; a glad heart. Fast, quick, sharp, or soon; also happy or pleased. Heart (忄) + 夬 (a decisive split): the heart decides in a flash.

Common Usage & Traps

  • 很快 (hěn kuài) — very fast; very soon
  • 快点 (kuài diǎn) — hurry up
  • 快车 (kuài chē) — express train
  • 快乐 (kuài lè) — happy
  • 快餐 (kuài cān) — fast food
  • 快人 快的人

    As an adjective before a noun, 快 usually needs 的: 快的人 means 'a fast person'. 快人 is not a normal standalone word at HSK 2.

  • 快好 很快好

    To say 'get well soon' or 'will be good soon', use 很快好 or 快好了, not 快好.

What is the difference between 快 and 块?

快 means 'fast' or 'quick'; 块 means 'piece' or 'lump' and is also used for money.

Both are pronounced kuài, but they are different characters. 快 has the heart radical 忄 and relates to speed or happiness. 块 has the earth radical 土 and refers to a piece or chunk, like 一块钱 (one yuan) or 一块蛋糕 (a piece of cake).

CharacterMeaningExample
fast, quick很快 (very fast)
piece, lump; yuan一块钱 (one yuan)

How do you use 快 to mean 'soon'?

快 can mean 'soon' before a verb or adjective, often with 要 or 了.

When 快 means 'soon', it often appears before a verb or adjective, sometimes with 要 or 了. For example, 快下雨了 (It's going to rain soon) or 他快来了 (He will come soon). It can also be used alone in responses like 快了 (It's soon).

UsageExampleMeaning
快 + verb + 了快下雨了It's going to rain soon
快 + adjective + 了快好了It's almost done
快 + 要 + verb快要考试了The exam is coming soon

Appears in Stories 1 story

《友好的高友朋》 A Friendly New Friend at Work
HSK 2 ~4 min read 243 chars
Read story →

Meet Gao Youpeng, a friendly Beijing coworker who welcomes the narrator with local dishes and a simple language-exchange plan. This warm HSK 2 story is perfect for first readings about work and friendship.

  • 英文中文每天几个 很快 我们英语汉语很多

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