Chinese Grammar: The different uses of 可

If one day you guys go to Northern China, you may often hear people talking use this word: 可. Don’t look down upon this tiny word, it is used quite often and can make your speech quite lively! Let’s take a look at what it means.

可 - an adverb that likes to put the spotlight on things

可 is an emphatic adverb, that is used as a modifier. In most situations, you'll find 可 used as a transitional word or a particle use to put emphasis on a situation or to stress a statement. You’ll also run into it in sentence patterns. Mostly used informally and in spoken speech, it's a word you'll want to use when the reality differs from what you expected, and you want to underline that. As it means different things with different words, let's see how 可 behaves with each type of word.

Using 可 with an adjective

When used with an adjective, 可 can intensify the adjective, to stress the tone of the speaker and to express the degree of something. In this situation, it’s similar in meaning to 很 / 非常 very or 真 really.

Structure

可 + adjective

Example

这个 姑娘可漂亮 了！
This girl is very pretty! (the speaker didn't quite expect her to be that pretty)

西红柿炒鸡蛋可好吃 了！
Tomato scrambled eggs are very tasty! (tastier than one had expected)

这个可复杂 了！
This is really complicated!

Using 可 with a verb

When used with verbs, it can emphasize them, also like, 真 really or act like a “but”, like 却 does to turn something into another situation. It can also be used in questions.

Structure

可 + Verb

Examples

你可回来 了！
You finally came back!

你 去，我可不 去 学校。
You go, but I really won't go to school.

这可不是 我 的 书。
This is certainly not my book.

你可知道 他 来 不 来？
Do you know whether he’ll come or not?

Sentence structures with 可

可 can also be used in the pattern “可 ... 的” to show that something is worth doing. You can also translate it in “...can/could (be)...". Let’s look at some examples so as to give you a better idea of how this pattern works.

Pattern

可 + Verb + 的

Examples

他 是可靠 的。
He is worth relying on.

还有 什么可挑剔 的 呢？
Is there anything that could be criticized?

还有 什么可说 的 呢？
Is there anything left worth talking about?

这可不是 闹 着 玩 的。
This cannot be joked about.

You can also think of “可 + verb” as meaning “verb-able”. For example, 可爱（的）means lovable; 可笑（的）means laughable. 可回收 means recyclable. Neat, no?