用得着 meaning in English
to be able to use; useable; to have a use for; (in a question) to be necessary to
Meaning of 用得着
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to be able to use; useable; to have a use for
- (in a question) to be necessary to
How to use 用得着
用得着 is a potential complement form. It often appears in questions or rhetorical questions meaning 'is it necessary to', and its negative is 用不着 (yòngbuzháo), 'no need'. Example: 这件事用得着你管吗？(Zhè jiàn shì yòngdezháo nǐ guǎn ma?) Is this any of your business? (literally: Does this need you to step in?)
Break it into 用 (yòng, use) + 得 (de, can) + 着 (zháo, reach or hit the target). Picture your use actually reaching something real, so the thing really gets used.
Common mistake: Learners often read 着 here as zhe or zhuó. In this word it is zháo, with a second tone, the same as in 睡着 (shuìzháo). Also, 得 is a neutral tone de, not dé as in 得到 (dédào).
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
用 yòng · to use · 5 strokes
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得 dé · to obtain · 11 strokes
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着 zhe · aspect particle indicating action in pr… · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 用得着.
| 觉得 | juéde | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 得到 | dédào | to get; to obtain; to receive |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 记得 | jìde | to remember |
| 有用 | yǒuyòng | useful |
| 使用 | shǐyòng | to use; to employ |
| 接着 | jiēzhe | to catch and hold on; to continue |
| 作用 | zuòyòng | to act on; to affect; action; function; activity |
| 懂得 | dǒngde | to understand; to know; to comprehend |
| 取得 | qǔdé | to acquire; to get; to obtain |
| 信用卡 | xìnyòngkǎ | credit card |
| 得出 | déchū | to obtain (a result); to arrive at (a conclusion) |
Questions about 用得着
What does 用得着 mean?
用得着 (yòngdezháo) means "to be able to use; useable; to have a use for; (in a question) to be necessary to" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 用得着?
用得着 is made of 3 characters: 用 (5 strokes), 得 (11 strokes), 着 (11 strokes). That is 27 strokes in total.
Is 用得着 an HSK word?
Yes. 用得着 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 用得着 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 用得着 is written 用得著.
What is the difference between 用得着 and 有用?
有用 (yǒuyòng) is an adjective that describes something as useful in general. 用得着 is a verb phrase that says something will actually be needed or put to use in a situation, for example 这个以后用得着 (This will come in handy later).
Is 用得着 the same as 需要?
In questions they can overlap, but 用得着 often sounds rhetorical and suggests the answer is no, as in 用得着这么生气吗？(Is there any need to get this angry?). 需要 (xūyào) is a neutral, more formal way to say 'need'.