确认

• Pinyin: què rèn
• Hanzi breakdown: 确 = 石 (stone) + 角 (horn, phonetic) — solid and certain; 认 = 讠(speech) + 人 (person, phonetic) — to acknowledge, recognise

Meaning

To confirm; to verify. To make sure that something is correct or definite.

Used in both formal and everyday contexts to mean checking, verifying, or establishing something as certain. Common in business (确认订单, confirm an order), travel (确认航班, confirm a flight), communication (请确认一下, please verify), and technology (确认密码, confirm password). Can be followed by a noun or a clause.

Examples

1. 请你确认一下明天会议的时间和地点。 Please confirm the time and location of tomorrow's meeting.
2. 收到快递以后要先确认东西有没有损坏。 After receiving a delivery, you should first check whether anything is damaged.
3. 他打电话确认了飞机的起飞时间。 He called to confirm the departure time of the flight.

Usage Guide

Context: business, travel, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你能帮我确认一下这个信息吗？(Could you help me verify this information?)
• 我已经确认了酒店的预订。(I have already confirmed the hotel reservation.)

Don't Say

• 我确认你是好人 as a casual compliment (Don't use 确认 for personal opinions or feelings — it implies formal verification; say 我觉得你是好人 instead)

Origin & History

A compound of 确 (certain, accurate — originally 石 stone suggesting solidity + 角 horn as phonetic) and 认 (recognise, acknowledge), together meaning 'to recognise as certain' — confirm.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal