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HSK 4

果然

sure enough; as expected

adverbneutral
果
guǒ3rd tone
然
rán2nd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
guǒrán
Part of speech
adverb
Level
HSK 4
Strokes
20
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 果然

果然 is written with 20 strokes (果: 8, 然: 12). The animation replays automatically.

What does 果然 mean?

果然 (guǒrán) is an adverb meaning 'sure enough,' 'as expected,' or 'just as one predicted.'

It confirms that reality matched a prior expectation, guess, or warning — you thought it would rain, and 果然 it rained. It typically sits before the verb or at the head of the clause reporting the confirmed outcome. Two things differ from English 'as expected.' First, 果然 carries a small note of vindication or 'I knew it' — it is not neutral reporting but a speaker's satisfaction (or resignation) that the prediction came true.

Second, English 'sure enough' can feel casual and detached; 果然 more strongly links back to a specific earlier thought or claim. There is a rhetorical variant 果然不出所料 ('just as anticipated'). Register is neutral and common in both speech and writing.

Character by character

果guǒresult; fruit; indeed
+
然ránso; thus; -ly (adverb suffix)
=
果然

Memory hook: 果 (result) + 然 (so) = 'so it turned out' — the result came just as predicted.

Example sentences

我就说会下雨，果然下了。

Wǒ jiù shuō huì xiàyǔ, guǒrán xià le.

I said it would rain, and sure enough it did.

spoken

这家饭馆果然很好吃。

Zhè jiā fànguǎn guǒrán hěn hǎochī.

This restaurant really is as good as they say.

spoken

他果然是对的。

Tā guǒrán shì duì de.

He was right, just as expected.

neutral

果然不出我所料，他迟到了。

Guǒrán bù chū wǒ suǒ liào, tā chídào le.

Just as I predicted, he was late.

written

Common phrases with 果然

果然如此guǒrán rúcǐjust as expected; so it is indeed
果然不错guǒrán búcuòas good as expected
果然没错guǒrán méicuòsure enough, right
果然是guǒrán shìit really is (as I thought)

Synonyms

的确díquè

的确 means 'indeed / truly' — it emphasizes that something is genuinely the case, without linking to a prior prediction. 果然 specifically confirms an earlier expectation. Use 果然 when you called it in advance; use 的确 to simply stress the truth.

竟然jìngrán

竟然 means 'unexpectedly / to one's surprise' — the opposite feeling. 果然 confirms what you predicted; 竟然 marks what surprised you. He passed, 果然 (as I knew) vs. he passed, 竟然 (I never expected it).

Don't confuse 果然 with

居然jūrán

居然 also means 'unexpectedly,' close to 竟然 — the reverse of 果然. It shares 然 but signals surprise, not confirmation.

当然dāngrán

当然 means 'of course / naturally,' asserting something is obvious. 果然 confirms a prediction came true. Don't mix them: 'of course' (当然) vs 'sure enough' (果然).

FAQ

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