当然
of course; certainly
dāngrán
What does 当然 mean?
当然 (dāngrán) means 'of course,' 'naturally,' or 'certainly' — it marks something as self-evidently true or as the expected answer. The two characters literally read 'in this manner it is so,' giving the sense of 'this is just how it is.' Use 当然 as a one-word reply to agree enthusiastically (当然！'Of course!'), as an adverb before a verb (我当然知道 'I of course know'), or as 当然了 / 当然啊 in casual speech for extra warmth.
Unlike English 'of course,' which can sometimes sound dismissive ('of course I did, what did you think?'), 当然 in Chinese is almost always friendly and reassuring. The pattern 当然...了 also softens disagreement: 当然可以了 means 'sure, that's fine.'
Note: Works in both spoken and written Chinese. In conversation, it often stands alone as a one-word reply, like English 'Of course!' or 'Sure!'
Character breakdown
to be; ought to; in this case
so; like that
Memory hook: 当 (in this case) + 然 (so) = 'in this case so' = naturally, of course.
Example sentences
你想去吗？当然想！
Nǐ xiǎng qù ma? Dāngrán xiǎng!
Do you want to go? Of course I do!
spoken
他当然知道这件事。
Tā dāngrán zhīdào zhè jiàn shì.
He of course knows about this.
neutral
可以借我用一下吗？当然可以。
Kěyǐ jiè wǒ yòng yíxià ma? Dāngrán kěyǐ.
Can I borrow it for a moment? Of course you can.
spoken
学好中文当然不容易，但是很有意思。
Xué hǎo Zhōngwén dāngrán bù róngyì, dànshì hěn yǒu yìsi.
Learning Chinese well isn't easy, of course, but it's very interesting.
neutral
做错了事情，当然要说对不起。
Zuò cuò le shìqing, dāngrán yào shuō duìbuqǐ.
If you've done something wrong, of course you should say sorry.
neutral
Common phrases with 当然
Synonyms
肯定 means 'definitely / for sure' — it expresses certainty about a fact or prediction. 当然 expresses that something is the natural, expected answer. '他肯定来' = he'll definitely come; '他当然来' = of course he'll come.
自然 as an adverb also means 'naturally / of course,' but it's more written and slightly more formal. 当然 is the everyday spoken choice.
Don't confuse 当然 with
突然 means 'suddenly' — the rhyme on -rán is what trips learners. 当然 = of course; 突然 = suddenly.
虽然 means 'although' and starts a concessive clause. Also ends in -rán but completely different function.
竟然 means 'unexpectedly / to my surprise.' It's the opposite vibe of 当然 — 当然 marks the expected, 竟然 marks the surprising.