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HSK 2

to go out; exit; come out

verbneutral
chū1st tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
chū
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 2
Strokes
5
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 出

is written with 5 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

What does 出 mean?

(chū) means 'to go out / come out / exit' — the directional opposite of (jìn, 'enter').

On its own it can be a full verb (太阳出来了 'the sun has come out'), but it most commonly appears as a directional complement attached to other verbs to mark outward motion: 走出 ('walk out'), 跑出 ('run out'), 拿出 ('take out'), 说出 ('speak out / utter'). Adding or specifies direction relative to the speaker: 出来 ('come out — toward me') vs 出去 ('go out — away from me'). also appears in countless high-frequency compounds: 出门 ('go out the door / leave home'), 出发 ('set out / depart'), 出生 ('be born'), 出租车 ('taxi,' literally 'rent-out car'), 出口 ('exit; export'), 出现 ('appear').

Beyond physical motion, carries the abstract sense of 'producing, emerging, or revealing' — 出问题 ('a problem comes up'), 看出 ('see / figure out'). It is one of the most productive single characters in Chinese.

Example sentences

我出去一下。

Wǒ chūqù yíxià.

I'm going out for a bit.

spoken

请你出来。

Qǐng nǐ chūlái.

Please come out.

spoken

他每天七点出门。

Tā měi tiān qī diǎn chūmén.

He leaves the house at seven every day.

neutral

我们坐出租车去吧。

Wǒmen zuò chūzūchē qù ba.

Let's go by taxi.

spoken

太阳出来了。

Tàiyáng chūlái le.

The sun has come out.

neutral

Common phrases with 出

出去chūqùto go out (away from speaker)
出来chūláito come out (toward speaker)
出门chūménto leave the house; head out
出租车chūzūchētaxi
出生chūshēngto be born

Synonyms

离开líkāi

离开 means 'to leave (a place)' and focuses on departure from somewhere specific: 离开家 ('leave home'). emphasizes the outward motion itself. You 离开 a room by going through the door.

Don't confuse 出 with

jìn

is 'enter / go in' — the exact opposite. 进来 ('come in') vs 出来 ('come out'); 进去 ('go in') vs 出去 ('go out'). Memorize the pair.

means 'to go (somewhere).' means 'to go out / exit.' 我去北京 ('I'm going to Beijing') vs 我出去 ('I'm going out'). Different focus: destination vs leaving.

huí

means 'to return / go back' (回家 'go home'). means to go outward. After you 出去 (go out), you eventually 回来 (come back).

FAQ

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