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HSK 3

可以

can; may; be permitted; okay

verbneutral
可
kě3rd tone
以
yǐ3rd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
kěyǐ
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
9
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 可以

可以 is written with 9 strokes (可: 5, 以: 4). The animation replays automatically.

What does 可以 mean?

可以 (kěyǐ) is a modal verb meaning 'can,' 'may,' or 'be permitted to,' with the extra colloquial use of 'okay / not bad.'

It expresses three things English speakers should keep apart: (1) permission — '可以进来吗？' 'may I come in?'; (2) possibility/feasibility — '这个问题可以解决' 'this problem can be solved'; (3) evaluative 'okay/passable' — '这家饭店还可以' 'this restaurant is okay.' Two contrasts with English: first, Chinese splits 'can' across three modals — 可以 (allowed, possible), 会 (have the learned ability, future likelihood), and 能 (have the physical capability, situational possibility).

'I can swim' (skill) is 我会游泳; 'I can come tomorrow' (possible/allowed) is 我可以来; 'I can lift this' (physical ability) is 我能搬动. Mixing them up is the single most common HSK 2-3 error. Second, the negative is 不可以 (not allowed / not okay) — note that 不可以 sounds firmer than 不能, often used by parents and authorities.

Note: Fully neutral modal verb used in every register from casual chat to written contracts. As a one-word answer ('Sure / okay'), 可以 is friendly but slightly more formal than 行 (xíng).

Character by character

可kěable to; -able; permission marker
+
以yǐto use; by means of; (here a grammatical particle)
=
可以

Memory hook: 可 'permitted' + 以 'to' = permitted to (do something).

Example sentences

我可以进来吗？

Wǒ kěyǐ jìnlái ma?

May I come in?

spoken, polite

你可以坐在这儿。

Nǐ kěyǐ zuò zài zhèr.

You can sit here.

spoken

这里不可以抽烟。

Zhèlǐ bù kěyǐ chōuyān.

Smoking is not allowed here.

neutral

这个电影还可以。

Zhège diànyǐng hái kěyǐ.

This movie is okay.

spoken

明天我们可以一起吃饭。

Míngtiān wǒmen kěyǐ yìqǐ chīfàn.

We can have dinner together tomorrow.

neutral

Common phrases with 可以

可以吗kěyǐ mais it okay? / may I?
可以的kěyǐ deyes, that's fine
不可以bù kěyǐnot allowed; no
还可以hái kěyǐokay; not bad; passable
可以试试kěyǐ shìshiyou can give it a try

Synonyms

能néng

能 = have the physical ability or situational possibility to do something ('I can lift 50 kg'). 可以 = permitted or feasible ('I'm allowed to / it's possible to'). 'I can't come tomorrow' is 明天我不能来 (something prevents me) — 不可以 would mean 'not allowed.'

会huì

会 = learned skill ('I can swim, speak Chinese, drive'). 可以 = permission or possibility. 我会开车 (I know how to drive) ≠ 我可以开车 (I'm allowed to drive).

行xíng

行 = 'okay / works for me,' very colloquial one-word agreement. 可以 is more universal — works in writing and speech. 行不行？ asks more casually than 可以吗？

Don't confuse 可以 with

能néng

Both can translate as 'can,' but 能 focuses on capability/possibility, 可以 on permission/feasibility. '医生说我不能喝酒' (the doctor says I can't drink — physically can't) vs '这里不可以喝酒' (drinking isn't allowed here).

可能kěnéng

可能 = 'possible / maybe / probably' (likelihood). 可以 = 'can / may / permitted' (ability or permission). 明天可能下雨 (it might rain tomorrow) vs 明天可以来 (you may come tomorrow).

应该yīnggāi

应该 = 'should / ought to' (advice or moral obligation). 可以 = 'can / may' (permission). 你应该多休息 (you should rest more) vs 你可以休息 (you may rest).

FAQ

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