原来

Character by character

• 原yuán10 strokesHSK 2source, origin, beginning
• 来lái7 strokesHSK 1 traditional 來come, coming; return, returning

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

Example sentences

• 原来如此！

  Yuán lái rú cǐ

  So that's how it is!

  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 原来. Reading them together is how the character starts to stick — the same characters in a different context.

• 来láiHSK 1

  to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回来); ever since (as in 自古以来); for the past (amount of time); (prefix) the coming ...; the next ... (as in 来世); (between two verbs) in order to; (after a round number) approximately; (used after 得 to indicate possibility, as in 谈得来, or after 不 to indicate impossibility, as in 吃不来)

• 起来qǐ laiHSK 1

  to stand up; to get up; also pr. [qǐ lái]

• 出来chū láiHSK 1

  to come out; to appear; to arise

• 原因yuán yīnHSK 2

  cause; origin; root cause; reason

• 回来huí laiHSK 1

  to return; to come back

• 下来xià laiHSK 3

  to come down; (completed action marker); (after verb of motion, indicates motion down and towards us, also fig.); (indicates continuation from the past towards us); to be harvested (of crops); to be over (of a period of time); to go among the masses (said of leaders)

• 来自lái zìHSK 2

  to come from (a place); From: (in email header)

• 带来dài láiHSK 2

  to bring; (fig.) to bring about; to produce

• 过来guò láiHSK 2

  to come over; to manage; to handle; to be able to take care of

• 未来wèi láiHSK 4

  future; tomorrow; approaching; coming; pending

• 看来kàn laiHSK 4

  apparently; it seems that

• 来到lái dàoHSK 1

  to arrive; to come

• 越来越yuè lái yuèHSK 2

  more and more

• 后来hòu láiHSK 2

  afterwards; later; newly arrived

• 本来běn láiHSK 3

  original; originally; at first; it goes without saying; of course

• 以来yǐ láiHSK 3

  since (a previous event)

• 原yuánHSK 6

  former; original; primary; raw; level; cause; source

• 从来cóng láiHSK 3

  always; at all times; never (if used in negative sentence)

• 进来jìn láiHSK 1

  to come in

• 原则yuán zéHSK 4

  principle; doctrine

• 来源lái yuánHSK 4

  source (of information etc); origin

• 将来jiāng láiHSK 3

  in the future; future; the future

• 原谅yuán liàngHSK 6

  to excuse; to forgive; to pardon

• 到来dào láiHSK 5

  to arrive; arrival; advent