所以
so; therefore; that's why
HSK level
- Pinyin
- suǒyǐ
- Part of speech
- conjunction
- Level
- HSK 2
- Strokes
- 12
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 5
Stroke order for 所以
所以 is written with 12 strokes (所: 8, 以: 4). The animation replays automatically.
What does 所以 mean?
所以 (suǒyǐ) is the conjunction 'so / therefore / that's why' — it introduces the result or conclusion of a stated cause.
The signature pattern is 因为 X，所以 Y ('because X, so Y'), and unlike English (which usually drops one half), Chinese commonly keeps BOTH halves: 因为下雨，所以我没去 = 'Because it was raining, (so) I didn't go.' English speakers often instinctively delete 'so,' which sounds incomplete in Chinese. 所以 can also stand on its own without 因为, simply marking the conclusion: 我累了，所以我要睡觉 ('I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep'). In casual speech, 所以呢？ ('so what?'
/ 'and?') is a common follow-up. The character 所 alone has many meanings, but in 所以 it functions as a fixed conjunction — don't try to translate piece by piece.
Note: Standard conjunction in speech and writing. Often paired with 因为 ('because') in the 因为...所以... structure, though either half can stand alone.
Character by character
Memory hook: 所以 literally hints at 'that by which' — the means or reason linking cause to effect. Just memorize it as the fixed pair 'so / therefore.'
Hear 所以 in real episodes
所以 appears in 5 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed, 4 of them below. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
因为中微子什么都能穿过，所以科学家一直很难看到它们。
Because neutrinos can pass through anything, scientists have always found them very hard to see.
Francis Halzen Wins the Physics Nobel for Turning a Cubic Kilometer of Antarctic Ice Into a Telescope for Ghost Particles
所以，有的医生说：可能没有很多人有鼠疫。
So some doctors say: probably not many people have plague.
A Russian Lab Worker Died After a Test Tube Broke at a Plague Institute. Russia Says It Wasn't Plague, but Quarantined 200 People.
所以，刮舌头，比刷舌头好。
So scraping your tongue is better than brushing it.
Tongue Scrapers Beat Toothbrushes at Fighting Bad Breath — and Your Tongue's Bacteria May Help Lower Your Blood Pressure
所以很多人说：有了沃尔夫奖，你可能也会有诺贝尔奖。
So lots of people say: if you've won the Wolf Prize, you might win the Nobel too.
Jun Ye's Atomic Clock Won't Lose a Second in 15 Billion Years. Now He Has Won the Wolf Prize, Often a Step Before the Nobel.
Example sentences
我很累，所以早点睡。
Wǒ hěn lèi, suǒyǐ zǎo diǎn shuì.
I'm tired, so I'll sleep early.
spoken
因为下雨，所以我没去公园。
Yīnwèi xiàyǔ, suǒyǐ wǒ méi qù gōngyuán.
Because it was raining, I didn't go to the park.
neutral
他喜欢中国，所以来北京学习。
Tā xǐhuan Zhōngguó, suǒyǐ lái Běijīng xuéxí.
He likes China, so he came to Beijing to study.
neutral
今天有考试，所以我要早起。
Jīntiān yǒu kǎoshì, suǒyǐ wǒ yào zǎoqǐ.
There's a test today, so I have to get up early.
spoken
所以你现在明白了吗？
Suǒyǐ nǐ xiànzài míngbai le ma?
So do you understand now?
spoken
Common phrases with 所以
Synonyms
因此 ('therefore / for this reason') is more formal and written. 所以 is the everyday spoken choice. Use 因此 in essays, news, formal speeches; 所以 in conversation.
于是 means 'thereupon / and so (then)' — emphasizes the SEQUENCE of events, not pure cause-effect. 我饿了，于是去吃饭 = 'I was hungry, so (then) I went to eat.' 所以 highlights logical conclusion; 于是 highlights what happened next.
Don't confuse 所以 with
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
Meet 所以 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
You just saw 所以 in 5 episodes. Fluentide keeps feeding you news episodes at your level, so this word — and thousands like it — resurface in real sentences until they stick. Full pinyin and translation every time. Free to start.