Meaning of 哪怕
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- even
- even if
- even though
- no matter how
How to use 哪怕
哪怕 introduces an extreme or unlikely condition, and the second clause usually contains 也 (yě) or 都 (dōu) to show the result stays the same. It is common in both speech and writing. Example: 哪怕下雨，我也去。(Nǎpà xià yǔ, wǒ yě qù.) Even if it rains, I will still go.
哪 (nǎ) asks "which" and 怕 (pà) means "to fear." Think of 哪怕 as "whichever thing I might fear," I will still do it, which gives the meaning "even if."
Common mistake: Learners often drop 也 or 都 in the second clause, which makes the sentence sound incomplete. Another common slip is reading 哪 with its question tone pattern as nà or confusing 哪怕 with 恐怕 (kǒngpà), which means "I am afraid that" and expresses a guess, not a concession.
哪怕 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.
哪 nǎ · how · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
怕 pà · to be afraid · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
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- 4
- 5
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- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 哪怕.
| 哪里 | nǎlǐ | where?; somewhere |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where?; wherever; anywhere; somewhere |
| 哪些 | nǎxiē | which ones?; who? |
| 可怕 | kěpà | awful; dreadful |
| 害怕 | hàipà | to be afraid; to be scared |
| 恐怕 | kǒngpà | fear; to dread |
| 生怕 | shēngpà | to fear; afraid |
| 哪知道 | nǎ zhīdào | who would have thought that ...? |
| 哪个 | nǎge | which; who |
| 不怕 | bùpà | fearless; not worried (by setbacks or difficulties) |
| 惧怕 | jùpà | to be afraid |
| 哪门子 | nǎménzi | (coll.) (emphasizing a rhetorical question) what; what kind |
Questions about 哪怕
What does 哪怕 mean?
哪怕 (nǎpà) means "even; even if" and is used as a conjunction.
How do you write 哪怕?
哪怕 is made of 2 characters: 哪 (9 strokes), 怕 (8 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 哪怕 an HSK word?
Yes. 哪怕 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 哪怕 and 即使?
Both mean "even if" and both pair with 也. 即使 (jíshǐ) sounds more formal and neutral, while 哪怕 is more colloquial and often stresses a very small or extreme case, such as 哪怕一分钟 (even one minute).
Can 哪怕 be followed by just a noun phrase?
Yes. You can say 哪怕一点点也好 (nǎpà yīdiǎndiǎn yě hǎo), meaning "even just a little is fine." The 也 still appears afterward to complete the idea.