Meaning of 也许
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- perhaps; maybe
How to use 也许
也许 is an adverb placed before the verb or at the start of a sentence to show uncertainty. It is common in everyday speech. Example: 他也许明天来。(Tā yěxǔ míngtiān lái.) He might come tomorrow.
也 (yě) means "also" and 许 (xǔ) means "to allow," so 也许 is like saying "it is also allowed to be true." The speaker leaves room for a possibility without promising it.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes put 也许 after the verb, as in 他来也许, but it must come before the verb or at the start of the sentence. Also note the tones: yě is third tone and xǔ is third tone, so in speech 也 changes to a rising second tone, sounding like yéxǔ.
也许 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
也 yě · also · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
许 xǔ · to allow · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 也许.
| 许多 | xǔduō | many; a lot of |
| 或许 | huòxǔ | perhaps; maybe |
| 再也 | zài yě | (not) ever again; (not) any longer |
| 不许 | bùxǔ | not to allow; must not |
| 也好 | yěhǎo | that's fine; may as well |
| 许可 | xǔkě | to allow; to permit |
| 允许 | yǔnxǔ | to permit; to allow |
| 也就是说 | yějiùshìshuō | in other words; that is to say |
| 准许 | zhǔnxǔ | to allow; to grant |
| 许可证 | xǔkězhèng | license; authorization |
| 容许 | róngxǔ | to permit; to allow |
| 赞许 | zànxǔ | to praise; to laud |
Questions about 也许
What does 也许 mean?
也许 (yěxǔ) means "perhaps; maybe" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 也许?
也许 is made of 2 characters: 也 (3 strokes), 许 (6 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 也许 an HSK word?
Yes. 也许 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 也许 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 也许 is written 也許.
What is the difference between 也许 and 或许?
Both mean "perhaps" and can usually swap with each other. 也许 is more common in casual speech, while 或许 (huòxǔ) sounds a little more written or formal.
Can 也许 be used alone as an answer?
Yes. If someone asks 你明天去吗？(Nǐ míngtiān qù ma?), you can simply reply 也许。(Yěxǔ.) meaning "Maybe."