approximately; about
HSK level
大约 is written with 9 strokes (大: 3, 约: 6). The animation replays automatically.
大约 (dàyuē) is an adverb meaning 'approximately,' 'about,' or 'roughly.'
It comes before a number or quantity to signal an estimate: 大约二十个人 ('about twenty people'), 大约需要三天 ('takes about three days'). It can also mean 'probably' before a whole clause, though this use is a bit less common than with 大概. English speakers should note that 大约 tends to attach to measurable quantities — time, amount, distance, number — where English says 'about' or 'around.'
It is neutral in register and slightly more formal or written than the very colloquial 大概 (dàgài), so you'll see 大约 in news and reports as well as speech. Unlike English 'about,' 大约 is an adverb only and cannot itself be a noun or adjective. Pair it naturally with 左右 (zuǒyòu, 'or so') for a doubly hedged estimate: 大约五点左右 ('around five o'clock or so').
Character by character
Memory hook: 约 already carries 'approximately'; 大约 broadens it to 'roughly, about.'
从这儿走过去大约十分钟。
Cóng zhèr zǒu guòqù dàyuē shí fēnzhōng.
It's about a ten-minute walk from here.
spoken
会议大约在下午三点开始。
Huìyì dàyuē zài xiàwǔ sān diǎn kāishǐ.
The meeting starts at about three in the afternoon.
neutral
这座城市大约有五百万人口。
Zhè zuò chéngshì dàyuē yǒu wǔbǎi wàn rénkǒu.
This city has a population of about five million.
written
我大约五点左右到。
Wǒ dàyuē wǔ diǎn zuǒyòu dào.
I'll arrive at around five o'clock.
spoken
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