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的确 meaning in English

díquè

really; indeed

HSK 4adverbTraditional 的確20 strokes

Meaning of 的确

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

díquè
  1. really
  2. indeed

How to use 的确

的确 is an adverb placed before a verb or adjective to confirm that something is true, often agreeing with what someone just said. It sounds a little more formal and emphatic than 真的 (zhēn de). Example: 这个办法的确不错。(Zhège bànfǎ díquè búcuò.) This method really is quite good.

的 here is read dí, as in 目的 (mùdì), the target you aim at. 确 (què) means firm and certain, as in 正确 (zhèngquè). Hitting the target with certainty means something is really and truly so.

Common mistake: Many learners read 的 here as the neutral-tone de, but in 的确 it is pronounced dí with the second tone. Also, do not put 的确 after the verb. Say 他的确很忙, not 他很忙的确.

的确 in example sentences

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

她tā的dí确què是shì正zhèng确què的de。
She's correct for sure.
汤tāng姆mǔ看kàn起qǐ来lái的dí确què比bǐ玛mǎ丽lì年nián轻qīng。
Tom definitely looks younger than Mary.
汤tāng姆mǔ的dí确què是shì个gè很hěn会huì讲jiǎng话huà的de人rén。
Tom certainly is an eloquent speaker.
我wǒ不bù知zhī道dào他tā来lái这zhè里lǐ的dí确què切qiè时shí间jiān。
I don't know for certain when he will come.
他tā们men到dào达dá的dí确què切qiè时shí间jiān还hái不bù明míng。
The precise time of their arrival is not known.

Stroke order for each character

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

的 de · of · 8 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8

确 què · certain · 12 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12

Related words

Words that share a character with 的确.

真的zhēn dereally; truly; indeed; real; true; genuine
别的biédeelse; other
有的yǒude(there are) some (who are...); some (exist)
的话dehuàif (coming after a conditional clause)
正确zhèngquècorrect; sound; right; proper
目的mùdìpurpose; aim; goal; target; objective
准确zhǔnquèaccurate; exact; precise
确定quèdìngdefinite; certain
确实quèshíindeed; really
确保quèbǎoto ensure; to guarantee
明确míngquèclear-cut; definite; explicit; to clarify; to specify; to make definite
有的是yǒudeshìhave plenty of; there's no lack of

Questions about 的确

What does 的确 mean?

的确 (díquè) means "really; indeed" and is used as a adverb.

How do you write 的确?

的确 is made of 2 characters: 的 (8 strokes), 确 (12 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.

Is 的确 an HSK word?

Yes. 的确 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 的确 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 的确 is written 的確.

What is the difference between 的确 and 确实?

Both mean indeed or really and are often interchangeable as adverbs. 确实 (quèshí) can also work as an adjective meaning reliable or true, as in 消息很确实, while 的确 is only an adverb.

Can 的确 be used alone as a reply?

Yes. You can answer 的确。 or 的确如此。(díquè rúcǐ) to mean that is indeed so. It shows agreement in a slightly formal, thoughtful tone.

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