fast; quick; soon
HSK level
快 is written with 7 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
快 (kuài) primarily means 'fast / quick' as an adjective: 他跑得很快 ('he runs very fast'), 这辆车很快 ('this car is fast').
Two extensions are everyday: (1) 'soon / about to' as an adverb signaling imminent time — 快到了 ('almost there'), 快下雨了 ('it's about to rain'), often paired with 了 at the end; (2) 'hurry up!' as an imperative — 快来 ('come quickly'), 快走 ('hurry, let's go'). In speed comparisons it pairs naturally with 慢 (màn, 'slow'): 快 / 慢. As a verb complement it follows 得: 跑得快 ('runs fast'), 学得快 ('learns quickly').
快 is also a feeling-word in 愉快 (yúkuài, 'pleasant') and 快乐 (kuàilè, 'happy') — happiness in Chinese is associated with the briskness of 快. Don't confuse with the homophone 块 (kuài), the measure word for money and a piece of something. The phrase 快快 (reduplicated) means 'quickly, quickly' for urgency: 快快走 ('hurry, hurry, go!').
快 appears in 2 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
他跑得很快。
Tā pǎo de hěn kuài.
He runs very fast.
spoken
快下雨了。
Kuài xià yǔ le.
It's about to rain.
spoken
快点，我们要迟到了。
Kuài diǎn, wǒmen yào chídào le.
Hurry up, we're going to be late.
spoken
这班车很快。
Zhè bān chē hěn kuài.
This train/bus is very fast.
neutral
迅速 is 'rapid / swift' — more formal and written. Use 快 in conversation; use 迅速 in news, reports, and formal writing. 警察迅速到达现场 = 'police rapidly arrived at the scene.'
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