快

• Pinyin: kuài
• Hanzi breakdown: 快 = 忄(heart) + 夬 (decisive) — originally 'pleased,' later extended to 'fast'

Meaning

Fast; quick; soon. Describes speed or the imminence of an event.

Used both as an adjective meaning 'fast/quick' and as an adverb meaning 'soon/about to.' In the structure 快要...了, it signals that something is about to happen. Also used to mean 'happy' in certain classical compounds like 快乐 (happy).

Examples

1. 他跑得很快。 He runs very fast.
2. 快要下雨了，我们回家吧。 It's about to rain — let's go home.
3. 你走得太快了，等等我。 You're walking too fast — wait for me.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, sports

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 快来吃饭！(Come eat quickly!)
• 时间过得好快。(Time passes so fast.)

Don't Say

• 说'快地走'来修饰动词。(Don't say 快地走 — use 快走 directly or 走得很快 as a complement; 快 doesn't take 地 before a verb)

Origin & History

Composed of 忄 (heart radical) and 夬 (to decide). The original meaning was 'happy/pleased' — a heart that is decisive and unburdened. The sense of 'fast' developed later.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal