Meaning of 最好
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- best
- had better ...; it would be best to ...
How to use 最好
最好 works two ways: as an adjective meaning "best" and as an adverb before a verb meaning "had better" or "it would be best to". As advice it softens a suggestion. Example: 你最好早点儿睡。(Nǐ zuìhǎo zǎodiǎnr shuì.) You had better go to bed a bit earlier.
最 (zuì) means "most" and 好 (hǎo) means "good", so 最好 is simply "most good", the best. When something is the best choice, you say you had better do it.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 最好 (zuìhǎo) with 最后 (zuìhòu, "last, finally") because they sound alike. Listen for hǎo versus hòu. Also, the adverb 最好 goes before the verb, not at the end of the sentence: say 你最好去, not 你去最好 when you mean "you had better go".
最好 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.
最 zuì · to the highest degree · 12 strokes
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好 hǎo · good · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 最好.
| 最后 | zuìhòu | final; last; ultimate; finally; in the end |
| 好吃 | hǎochī | tasty; delicious |
| 好看 | hǎokàn | good-looking; nice-looking; (of a movie, book, TV show etc) good |
| 好听 | hǎotīng | pleasant to hear |
| 爱好 | àihào | to like; to be fond of; to take pleasure in; to be keen on; interest; hobby |
| 好玩儿 | hǎowánr | erhua variant of 好玩[hao3 wan2] |
| 好像 | hǎoxiàng | as if; to seem like |
| 最近 | zuìjìn | recently; soon |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing |
| 好多 | hǎoduō | many; quite a lot |
| 好人 | hǎorén | good person; healthy person |
| 正好 | zhènghǎo | just (in time); just right |
Questions about 最好
What does 最好 mean?
最好 (zuìhǎo) means "best; had better ...; it would be best to ..." and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 最好?
最好 is made of 2 characters: 最 (12 strokes), 好 (6 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 最好 an HSK word?
Yes. 最好 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say "best friend" with 最好?
Put 的 between them: 最好的朋友 (zuìhǎo de péngyou), "best friend". 最好 used as a description before a noun usually needs 的.
Can I use 最好不 to say "had better not"?
Yes. Put 不 or 别 after 最好: 你最好别去 (nǐ zuìhǎo bié qù), "you had better not go". This is a common, polite way to warn someone.