赶快

• Pinyin: gǎn kuài
• Hanzi breakdown: 赶 = 走 (walk) + 干 (phonetic), to hurry; 快 = 忄(heart) + 夬 (decisive), meaning fast

Meaning

Hurry up; quickly. An adverb urging someone to act faster.

Very similar to 赶紧 but slightly less urgent. Both are commonly used in spoken Chinese. Can be used for both urgent and mildly pressing situations. Often appears at the beginning of a sentence as an instruction.

Examples

1. 赶快走吧，电影快开始了。 Let's hurry, the movie is about to start.
2. 你赶快把这件事告诉他。 Quickly tell him about this.
3. 下课了，大家赶快去食堂吃饭。 Class is over, everyone hurry to the cafeteria for lunch.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, conversation, instruction

Tone: urgent

Do Say

• 赶快把门关上，外面太冷了。(Quickly close the door, it's too cold outside.)
• 你赶快去看看怎么回事。(Hurry and go see what's going on.)

Don't Say

• 请赶快提交报告 (In formal business communication, avoid 赶快 — use 尽快 or 请尽早 instead; 赶快 is too casual for professional writing)

Origin & History

Compound of 赶 (rush) and 快 (fast, quick), combining two words related to speed and urgency.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal