Fluentide
Fluentide for iOS is out — get the app
HSK 3

久

long (time)

adjectiveneutral
久
jiǔ3rd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
jiǔ
Part of speech
adjective
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
3
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 久

久 is written with 3 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

What does 久 mean?

久 (jiǔ) is an adjective/adverb meaning 'long (in time)' — describing how long something lasts or how long ago it was.

It only refers to duration, never to physical length (for that, use 长 cháng). Common patterns: 很久 (hěn jiǔ) = a long time; 多久 (duō jiǔ) = how long?; 好久不见 (hǎojiǔ bú jiàn) = long time no see; 不久 (bù jiǔ) = not long / soon. It typically appears after a verb to mark duration (我等了很久 = I waited a long time) or as part of a time-question (你来多久了？= How long have you been here?

). English speakers often want to use 长 here because 'long time' translates 'long' as 长 — but for time, native speakers say 很久, not 很长 (though 很长时间 is fine). 久 is also a homophone of 九 (nine) and 酒 (alcohol), which is the basis for many wedding/celebration puns.

Note: Neutral. The greeting 好久不见 ('long time no see') is spoken and casual; the same word in writing keeps a neutral feel.

Example sentences

好久不见！

Hǎojiǔ bú jiàn!

Long time no see!

spoken

你来中国多久了？

Nǐ lái Zhōngguó duō jiǔ le?

How long have you been in China?

spoken

我等了很久。

Wǒ děng le hěn jiǔ.

I waited a long time.

neutral

不久以后他就回来了。

Bù jiǔ yǐhòu tā jiù huílái le.

Not long after, he came back.

neutral

对不起，让你久等了。

Duìbuqǐ, ràng nǐ jiǔ děng le.

Sorry to have kept you waiting.

polite

Common phrases with 久

很久hěn jiǔa long time
好久不见hǎojiǔ bú jiànlong time no see
多久duō jiǔhow long?
不久bù jiǔnot long; soon
久等了jiǔ děng lesorry to keep you waiting

Synonyms

长时间cháng shíjiān

长时间 means 'a long period of time' and works as a noun phrase before a verb (长时间工作 = work for long periods). 久 is more compact and usually follows a verb (工作很久).

半天bàntiān

半天 literally 'half a day,' but spoken it means 'ages / a long while' (我等了半天 = I waited forever). 久 is neutral about duration; 半天 carries impatient feeling.

Don't confuse 久 with

九jiǔ

九 means 'nine' (the number). Same pronunciation as 久 (long time). Context tells them apart — 九点 = nine o'clock, 很久 = a long time.

酒jiǔ

酒 means 'alcohol / liquor.' Same pronunciation as 久. Different character (radical 氵 = water on the left). Don't write one for the other.

长cháng

长 means 'long' for physical length (a long road, long hair). 久 is for time only. 这条路很长 = this road is long; 我等了很久 = I waited a long time.

FAQ

Acquire it by listening

Meet 久 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 久 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.