Meaning of 立刻
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- immediately; at once; right away
How to use 立刻
立刻 (lìkè) goes before the verb to show an action happens right after something else, often in commands or quick reactions. Example: 我立刻回来。(Wǒ lìkè huílai.) I'll be right back.
立 (lì) means to stand, and 刻 (kè) is a moment of time, as in 时刻 (shíkè). Picture yourself standing up the very moment you are called: you act at once.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes put 立刻 after the verb, as in 回来立刻, but it must come before the verb: 立刻回来. Also do not confuse 刻 (kè) with 该 (gāi); both have a similar 亥 part, but 刻 has the knife radical 刂 on the right.
立刻 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.
立 lì · to stand · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
刻 kè · quarter · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 立刻.
| 时刻 | shíkè | time; juncture |
| 建立 | jiànlì | to establish; to set up |
| 深刻 | shēnkè | profound; deep |
| 成立 | chénglì | to establish; to set up |
| 设立 | shèlì | to set up; to establish |
| 立即 | lìjí | immediately |
| 独立 | dúlì | independent; independence |
| 此刻 | cǐkè | this moment; now |
| 立场 | lìchǎng | position; standpoint |
| 创立 | chuànglì | to establish; to set up; to found |
| 对立 | duìlì | to oppose; to set sth against |
| 确立 | quèlì | to establish; to institute |
Questions about 立刻
What does 立刻 mean?
立刻 (lìkè) means "immediately; at once; right away" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 立刻?
立刻 is made of 2 characters: 立 (5 strokes), 刻 (8 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 立刻 an HSK word?
Yes. 立刻 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 立刻 and 立即?
They mean the same thing, immediately. 立即 (lìjí) sounds a bit more formal and written, so it is common in notices and news, while 立刻 is more common in everyday speech.
Can I use 立刻 to talk about the past?
Yes. It works for any time, for example 他听到消息，立刻走了。(Tā tīngdào xiāoxi, lìkè zǒu le.) He left right away when he heard the news.