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HSK 3

离开

to leave; to depart from

verbneutral
离
lí2nd tone
开
kāi1st tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
líkāi
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
14
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 离开

离开 is written with 14 strokes (离: 10, 开: 4). The animation replays automatically.

What does 离开 mean?

离开 (líkāi) means 'to leave' or 'to depart from' — to physically move away from a place, person, or situation.

It is a separable verb-complement: 离 ('separate / be apart from') + 开 ('apart / away'). The key thing for English speakers is that 离开 almost always takes a direct object: 离开北京 (leave Beijing), 离开家 (leave home), 离开公司 (leave the company / quit). Unlike English 'I left,' Chinese expects you to name what you left — bare 我走了 (wǒ zǒu le, 'I'm off') is the casual replacement when no destination matters.

离开 also carries a slight weight or finality: leaving a job, a relationship, or a city long-term. For 'step out for a moment,' use 出去 (chūqù) instead. The opposite is 回来 (huílai, come back) or 留下 (liúxia, stay).

Character by character

离líto be apart from; separate
+
开kāiopen; apart; away
=
离开

Memory hook: 离 = separate, 开 = away — put them together and you 'separate away,' which is leaving.

Example sentences

他昨天离开了北京。

Tā zuótiān líkāi le Běijīng.

He left Beijing yesterday.

neutral

我不想离开你。

Wǒ bù xiǎng líkāi nǐ.

I don't want to leave you.

spoken

请不要离开教室。

Qǐng bú yào líkāi jiàoshì.

Please don't leave the classroom.

polite

她离开了公司，去了一家新公司。

Tā líkāi le gōngsī, qù le yì jiā xīn gōngsī.

She left the company and went to a new one.

neutral

Common phrases with 离开

离开家líkāi jiāleave home
离开公司líkāi gōngsīleave the company; quit
离开北京líkāi Běijīngleave Beijing
不想离开bù xiǎng líkāidon't want to leave
刚离开gāng líkāijust left

Synonyms

走zǒu

走 ('go / leave') is the casual, one-syllable everyday verb. Say 我走了 when leaving a friend's place. 离开 is longer, more formal, and usually names what you're leaving.

出发chūfā

出发 means 'set out / depart' for a trip — focus on starting the journey. 离开 focuses on the place you're leaving behind.

Don't confuse 离开 with

分开fēnkāi

分开 means 'separate / split apart' — two people or things parting from each other (couples 分开 means 'break up'). 离开 is one party leaving a place or another party.

离婚líhūn

离婚 specifically means 'divorce' (the 离 here is the same character, but the compound is fixed). 离开 is general leaving; do not use 离开 to mean divorce.

FAQ

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