Meaning of 多久
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (of time) how long?
- (not) a long time
How to use 多久
多久 asks about a length of time and usually comes after the verb or at the end of the sentence. It can also mean not long when used with a negative, as in 没多久 (méi duōjiǔ), not long after. Example: 你学中文学了多久？ (Nǐ xué Zhōngwén xué le duōjiǔ?) How long have you been studying Chinese?
多 (duō) means much or many, and 久 (jiǔ) means a long time. Put them together and you are asking how much time, which is how long.
Common mistake: Learners often use 什么时候 (shénme shíhou) when they mean 多久. 什么时候 asks when something happens, while 多久 asks how long it lasts. Also, 久 (jiǔ) is third tone. Do not confuse it with 九 (jiǔ), nine, which sounds the same but is a different character.
多久 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.
多 duō · many · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
久 jiǔ · long · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 多久.
| 多少 | duōshao | number; amount; somewhat |
| 差不多 | chàbuduō | almost; nearly |
| 许多 | xǔduō | many; a lot of |
| 好多 | hǎoduō | many; quite a lot |
| 多么 | duōme | how (wonderful etc); what (a great idea etc) |
| 大多数 | dàduōshù | (great) majority |
| 不久 | bùjiǔ | not long (after); before too long |
| 好久 | hǎojiǔ | (coll.) a long time |
| 多数 | duōshù | majority; most |
| 多云 | duōyún | (meteorology) cloudy |
| 多年 | duō nián | many years; for many years |
| 多次 | duō cì | many times; repeatedly |
Questions about 多久
What does 多久 mean?
多久 (duōjiǔ) means "(of time) how long?; (not) a long time" and is used as a pronoun.
How do you write 多久?
多久 is made of 2 characters: 多 (6 strokes), 久 (3 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 多久 an HSK word?
Yes. 多久 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 多久 and 多长时间?
They mean the same thing, how long. 多长时间 (duō cháng shíjiān) is a bit more explicit and very common in speech, while 多久 is shorter. You can usually swap them.
How do I answer a question with 多久?
Put a time length in the same position, such as 两个小时 (liǎng ge xiǎoshí) or 三年 (sān nián). For example, 我等了多久？ can be answered with 你等了十分钟 (Nǐ děng le shí fēnzhōng), You waited ten minutes.