够 (enough)

• Pinyin: gòu
• Formation: 够 + Verb / Adj. + 了
• Hanzi breakdown: 够 = 句 (sentence) + 多 (many)

Meaning

The word 够 means 'enough' or 'sufficient.' When placed before a verb or adjective, it indicates that a degree or amount is sufficient, and often implies the speaker has had their fill or is fed up.

The pattern 够 + Verb/Adj. + 了 has two main uses. First, it can express genuine sufficiency: 够吃了 (there's enough to eat). Second, and very commonly in spoken Chinese, it expresses exasperation: 我够累了 (I'm tired enough already / I'm so tired of this). In the second usage, the emotional tone is one of complaint or having reached a limit. The word 够 can also be used as a standalone verb meaning 'to reach' or 'to be enough.' When 够 appears after an adjective, as in 好够了, that is non-standard — it should precede the adjective.

Examples

1. 菜够多了，不用再点了。 There are enough dishes — no need to order more.
2. 我够忙了，别再给我加任务。 I'm busy enough already — don't give me more tasks.
3. 这些钱够买一双鞋了。 This money is enough to buy a pair of shoes.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, everyday

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 我今天够累了，不想再加班了。
• 这些材料够用了，不需要再买。
• 她受够了每天加班的日子。

Don't Say

• 我累够了。(够 must come before the adjective, not after — the correct order is 够 + Adj.) → 我够累了。
• 够了吃这些饭。(够 + Verb + 了 forms a unit — the object should follow naturally: 这些饭够吃了) → 这些饭够吃了。

Origin & History

够 was originally written as 夠, combining 多 (many) and 句 (a phonetic component). Its core meaning of 'sufficient' or 'reaching a threshold' has remained stable throughout Chinese history.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal