既然

Character by character

• 既jì9 strokesHSK 4already; de facto; since; then
• 然rán12 strokesHSK 2yes, certainly; pledge, promise

Each character links to its stroke order page with a tracing and a writing exercise.

Example sentences

• 你既然已经知道了，还问什么？

  Nǐ jì rán yǐ jīng zhī dào le hái wèn shén me

  If you already know, why are you still asking?

  Listen

Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR), contributed by their community.

Words with the same characters

These words share at least one character with 既然. Reading them together is how the character starts to stick — the same characters in a different context.

• 然后rán hòuHSK 2

  then; after that; afterwards

• 当然dāng ránHSK 3

  only natural; as it should be; certainly; of course; without doubt

• 虽然suī ránHSK 2

  although; even though (often used correlatively with 是 or 是 etc)

• 突然tū ránHSK 3

  sudden; abrupt; unexpected

• 自然zì ránHSK 3

  nature; natural; naturally

• 仍然réng ránHSK 3

  still; as before; yet

• 居然jū ránHSK 5

  unexpectedly; to one's surprise; go so far as to

• 显然xiǎn ránHSK 3

  clearly; evidently; obviously

• 竟然jìng ránHSK 4

  unexpectedly; to one's surprise; in spite of everything; in that crazy way; actually; to go as far as to

• 既jìHSK 4

  already; since; both... (and...)

• 然而rán érHSK 4

  however; yet; but

• 依然yī ránHSK 4

  still; as before

• 不然bù ránHSK 4

  not so; no; or else; otherwise; if not; How about ...?

• 果然guǒ ránHSK 3

  really; sure enough; as expected; if indeed

• 忽然hū ránHSK 2

  suddenly; all of a sudden

• 必然bì ránHSK 3

  inevitable; certain; necessity

• 偶然ǒu ránHSK 5

  incidentally; occasional; occasionally; by chance; randomly

• 天然tiān ránHSK 6

  natural

• 要不然yào bù ránHSK 6

  otherwise; or else; or

• 大自然dà zì ránHSK 2

  nature (the natural world)

• 一如既往yī rú jì wǎngHSK 7

  just as in the past (idiom); as before; continuing as always

• 天然气tiān rán qìHSK 5

  natural gas

• 理所当然lǐ suǒ dāng ránHSK 7

  as it should be by rights (idiom); proper and to be expected as a matter of course; inevitable and right

• 截然不同jié rán bù tóngHSK 7

  entirely different; different as black and white