或是 meaning in English

huòshì

or; either one or the other

HSK 5conjunction17 strokes

Meaning of 或是

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

huòshì

or
either one or the other

How to use 或是

或是 joins two or more choices in statements, much like 或者 (huòzhě), and sounds slightly more formal or written. It often appears in a pattern like 或是A，或是B for "either A or B." Example: 你可以坐地铁或是打车。(Nǐ kěyǐ zuò dìtiě huòshì dǎchē.) You can take the subway or a taxi.

或是 is built from 或 (huò), meaning "or," plus 是 (shì), "to be." Think of it as "or it is": this one, or it is that one.

Common mistake: Learners often use 或是 in questions, but choice questions need 还是 (háishi): say 你喝茶还是咖啡？, not 你喝茶或是咖啡？. Also, the 是 here is usually read in the neutral tone or lightly, so do not stress it as a separate verb.

或是 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

你nǐ可kě以yǐ拿ná大dà的de盒hé子zi或huò是shì小xiǎo的de盒hé子zi。

You may take either the big box or the small one.

健jiàn康kāng比bǐ财cái富fù重zhòng要yào。这zhè句jù话huà是shì对duì呢ne ? 或huò是shì错cuò呢ne ?

Health is more important than wealth. Is this statement true? Or is it false?

在zài美měi国guó，当dāng你nǐ进jìn入rù餐cān厅tīng时shí，你nǐ可kě选xuǎn择zé坐zuò在zài吸xī烟yān区qū或huò是shì禁jìn烟yān区qū。

In the U.S., you have the option, when you enter a restaurant, to sit in the smoking or non-smoking section.

所suǒ有yǒu史shǐ蒂dì夫fū的de工gōng作zuò不bú是shì无wú聊liáo就jiù是shì非fēi高gāo薪xīn或huò是shì两liǎng者zhě兼jiān而ér有yǒu之zhī。

All of Steve's jobs were boring or not well-paid or both.

世shì上shàng所suǒ有yǒu问wèn题tí都dōu可kě以yǐ用yòng下xià面miàn三sān种zhǒng方fāng式shì解jiě决jué：接jiē受shòu，改gǎi变biàn，或huò是shì干gān脆cuì放fàng开kāi。

There are three solutions to every problem: accept it, change it or leave it.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

或 huò · maybe · 8 strokes

是 shì · to be · 9 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 或是.

还是	háishi	still (as before); had better
是不是	shì bu shì	is or is not (used to form yes-no questions)
但是	dànshì	but; however
可是	kěshì	but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed
或者	huòzhě	or; possibly; maybe; perhaps
正是	zhèngshì	is precisely
老是	lǎoshì	always
就是	jiùshì	exactly; precisely; only; simply; just
只是	zhǐshì	merely; only; just; nothing but; simply
要是	yàoshi	(coll.) if
总是	zǒngshì	always
有的是	yǒudeshì	have plenty of; there's no lack of

Questions about 或是

What does 或是 mean?

或是 (huòshì) means "or; either one or the other" and is used as a conjunction.

How do you write 或是?

或是 is made of 2 characters: 或 (8 strokes), 是 (9 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.

Is 或是 an HSK word?

Yes. 或是 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 或是 and 或者?

They mean the same thing and are used in the same statement patterns. 或者 is more common in everyday speech, while 或是 feels a bit more formal or literary. 或者 can also mean "perhaps," which 或是 usually does not.

Can 或是 connect whole clauses, not just nouns?

Yes. It can link verbs or full clauses, for example 周末我在家看书，或是去公园散步。(Zhōumò wǒ zài jiā kàn shū, huòshì qù gōngyuán sànbù.) On weekends I read at home or go for a walk in the park.