故意
HSK 4 (exam 2025)HSK 2 (2021)Old HSK 4
故意 (gùyì) · on purpose
故意 (gùyì) means “on purpose; deliberately”. It is written with 2 characters: 故 (reason) + 意 (thought). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 故意 is built
The characters
故 gù · reason
What 故 is made of
- 古gǔ — old
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 十 — ten
- 攵pū — to rap
- 乂yì — crossed strokes
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 乂yì — crossed strokes
Origin hint: 攵 gives the meaning, 古 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
意 yì · thought
What 意 is made of
- 音yīn — sound
- 立lì — to stand
- 亠tóu — lid
- 丷ha — kwukyel
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 日rì — sun; day
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 立lì — to stand
- 心xīn — heart
Origin hint: 心 gives the meaning, 音 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
对不起，我不是故意的。Duìbùqǐ, wǒ bù shì gùyì de.Sorry, I didn't do it on purpose.
他故意不说话。Tā gùyì bù shuōhuà.He kept quiet on purpose.
Questions about 故意
What does 故意 mean?
故意 (gùyì) means “on purpose; deliberately”.
How do you pronounce 故意?
故意 is pronounced gùyì.
Which HSK level is 故意?
故意 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021) and Old HSK 4.
Related words
- 故事gùshistory
- 故乡gùxiānghometown
- 事故shìgùaccident
- 变故biàngùmisfortune
- 故障gùzhàngbreakdown
- 缘故yuángùreason
- 不好意思bùhǎoyìsisorry
- 满意mǎnyìsatisfied
- 意见yìjiànopinion
- 意思yìsimeaning
Learn 故意 with its group
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 43: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.