差不多 (chàbuduō) · almost

差不多 (chàbuduō) means “almost; nearly; more or less”. It is written with 3 characters: 差 (poor) + 不 (not) + 多 (many). It is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).

How 差不多 is built

The characters

差 chà · poor

What 差 is made of

羊yáng — sheep
- 丷ha — kwukyel
  - 丶 — dot
工gōng — labor
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丄shàng — above
  - 丨 — vertical stroke
  - 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: Work 工 done by a sheep 羊; incompetence (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

不 bù · not

What 不 is made of

一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: A bird flying toward the sky 一 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

多 duō · many

What 多 is made of

夕xī — evening
- 勹bāo — wrap shape
  - 丿 — falling stroke
- 丶 — dot
夕xī — evening
- 勹bāo — wrap shape
  - 丿 — falling stroke
- 丶 — dot

Origin hint: Two nights 夕, suggesting many (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

我们差不多到了。Wǒmen chàbuduō dào le.We're almost there.

这两个颜色差不多。Zhè liǎng gè yánsè chàbuduō.These two colours are about the same.

Questions about 差不多

What does 差不多 mean?

差不多 (chàbuduō) means “almost; nearly; more or less”.

How do you pronounce 差不多?

差不多 is pronounced chàbuduō.

Which HSK level is 差不多?

差不多 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021) and Old HSK 4.

Related words

Learn 差不多 with its group

It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 54: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

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