HSK 4 · Function Words

可是 kěshì “but” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 可是 means

  1. but
  2. however
  3. (used for emphasis) indeed

How to say 可是

  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale可kě3rd tone, dipping
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale是shì4th tone, falling

可是 in a sentence

  1. 可是太贵了！

    Kěshì tài guì le!

    But it’s too expensive!

    Sentence #4761402 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 我们早上九点上课，可是他八点就来了。

    Wǒmen zǎoshang jiǔ diǎn shàngkè, kěshì tā bā diǎn jiù lái le.

    Our class starts at nine in the morning, but he got here at eight.

    Sentence #838496 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  3. 这个小镇不大，可是很热闹。

    Zhè ge xiǎozhèn bú dà, kěshì hěn rènao.

    This town isn’t big, but it’s very lively.

    Sentence #1510776 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

How 可是 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 可 (kě) with each of its parts in a different colour
可kěcan; may; able to; -able
  • 丁part of the characterMeaning part
  • 口mouth · kǒuSound part

Memory aidPicture a mouth 口 saying yes: can, may.

The character 是 (shì) with each of its parts in a different colour
是shìto be
  • 日sun · rì
  • 疋roll of cloth · pǐ

How to write 可是

可 5 strokes · 是 9 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

可是 (kěshì) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 可是 (kěshì). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 可是

Words with 可

可以kěyǐ · can可能kěnéng · maybe可kě · but可爱kě'ài · cute可怜kělián · pitiful可惜kěxī · it is a pity可靠kěkào · reliable可怕kěpà · awful可见kějiàn · it can clearly be seen (that this is the case)宁可nìngkě · preferably

Words with 是

是shì · to be但是dànshì · but总是zǒngshì · always还是háishi · or只是zhǐshì · only是否shìfǒu · whether (or not)要是yàoshi · if于是yúshì · thereupon就是jiùshì · exactly是非shìfēi · right and wrong

More words: Particles & Connectors

既然jìrán · since尽管jǐnguǎn · despite竟然jìngrán · unexpectedly棵kē · measure word for trees and plants恐怕kǒngpà · I’m afraid (that)例如lìrú · for example俩liǎ · two (colloquial equivalent of 两个)另外lìngwài · additional

FAQs

可是 (kěshì) means “but” or “however”. It is an HSK 4 word.
Say it kěshì: kě with a 3rd tone, then shì with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 可是 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type keshi with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 可是 from the suggestions. Typing keshi into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
可是 is an HSK 4 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.