Meaning of 原谅
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to excuse
- to forgive
- to pardon
How to use 原谅
原谅 is used when someone asks for or gives forgiveness, often for a personal wrong or a small offense. It takes a direct object: you forgive a person or forgive what they did. Example: 请原谅我来晚了。(Qǐng yuánliàng wǒ lái wǎn le.) Please forgive me for being late.
原 (yuán) means original or source, and 谅 (liàng) has the speech radical 讠 for words. To forgive is to let things return to how they originally were, using kind words.
Common mistake: Learners often use 原谅 where 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) or 不好意思 (bù hǎo yìsi) fits better. Saying 原谅我 for bumping into someone sounds too heavy. Also, 谅 is fourth tone liàng, not second tone liáng like 凉 (cool).
原谅 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.
原 yuán · former · 10 strokes
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谅 liàng · to excuse · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 原谅.
| 原因 | yuányīn | cause; origin |
| 原来 | yuánlái | original; former; originally; formerly; at first |
| 原则 | yuánzé | principle; doctrine |
| 原料 | yuánliào | raw material |
| 原始 | yuánshǐ | first; original |
| 草原 | cǎoyuán | grassland; prairie |
| 原理 | yuánlǐ | principle; theory |
| 原先 | yuánxiān | originally; original |
| 平原 | píngyuán | field; plain |
| 高原 | gāoyuán | plateau |
| 原有 | yuányǒu | original; former |
| 原告 | yuángào | complainant; plaintiff |
Questions about 原谅
What does 原谅 mean?
原谅 (yuánliàng) means "to excuse; to forgive" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 原谅?
原谅 is made of 2 characters: 原 (10 strokes), 谅 (10 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 原谅 an HSK word?
Yes. 原谅 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 原谅 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 原谅 is written 原諒.
What is the difference between 原谅 and 对不起?
对不起 is what you say to apologize. 原谅 is the act of forgiving. You might say 对不起，请原谅我 to apologize and then ask for forgiveness.
How do I say I can't forgive someone in Chinese?
Use 不能原谅 or 无法原谅 (wúfǎ yuánliàng), for example 我不能原谅他 (Wǒ bù néng yuánliàng tā), I can't forgive him. 无法 sounds more formal and stronger.