Meaning of 来信
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- incoming letter
- to send us a letter
How to use 来信
来信 is used as a noun for a letter you received, and as a verb meaning to write to someone, often in polite or formal contexts like newspapers, companies, or official replies. Example: 谢谢你的来信。(Xièxie nǐ de láixìn.) Thank you for your letter.
来 (lái) means to come and 信 (xìn) means letter, so 来信 is simply a letter that comes to you. Picture a letter arriving at your door: it came (来) as a letter (信).
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 来信 for any letter, but it means a letter sent to you or to us. For a letter you are sending, say 写信 (xiěxìn) or 寄信 (jìxìn). Also keep both syllables rising: lái is second tone and xìn is fourth, not xīn as in 新 (new).
来信 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.
来 lái · to come · 7 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 7
信 xìn · letter · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
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- 4
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- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 来信.
| 回来 | huílái | to return; to come back |
| 起来 | qǐlái | to stand up; to get up; also pr. [qi3lai2] |
| 出来 | chūlái | to come out; to appear |
| 进来 | jìnlái | to come in |
| 来到 | láidào | to arrive; to come |
| 相信 | xiāngxìn | to believe; to be convinced; to accept as true |
| 过来 | guòlái | to come over; to manage |
| 带来 | dàilái | to bring; (fig.) to bring about; to produce |
| 来自 | láizì | to come from (a place); From: (in email header) |
| 原来 | yuánlái | original; former; originally; formerly; at first |
| 信息 | xìnxī | information; news; message |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later; newly arrived |
Questions about 来信
What does 来信 mean?
来信 (láixìn) means "incoming letter; to send us a letter" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 来信?
来信 is made of 2 characters: 来 (7 strokes), 信 (9 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 来信 an HSK word?
Yes. 来信 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 来信 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 来信 is written 來信.
What is the difference between 来信 and 回信?
来信 is the letter that comes to you. 回信 (huíxìn) is the reply you send back, or the act of replying. A common pattern is 收到来信后马上回信, meaning to reply right after receiving a letter.
Can 来信 be used for emails or messages?
Yes, in formal writing 来信 can cover emails and other written messages sent to an organization or person. In casual speech people usually say 邮件 (yóujiàn) for email or 消息 (xiāoxi) for a message.