除了 meaning in English
apart from; besides; in addition to (used to exclude, as in 除了他，誰也沒來|除了他，谁也没来[chu2 le5 ta1 , shei2 ye3 mei2 lai2] "apart from him, nobody came", or to include, as in 除了英語，他也會法語|除了英语，他也会法语[chu2 le5 Ying1 yu3 , ta1 ye3 hui4 Fa3 yu3] "in addition to English, he also knows French"); (used to introduce one of two habitual alternatives in the pattern 除了[chu2 le5] + A + 就是[jiu4 shi4] + B, "either A or B")
Meaning of 除了
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- apart from; besides; in addition to (used to exclude, as in 除了他，誰也沒來|除了他，谁也没来[chu2 le5 ta1 , shei2 ye3 mei2 lai2] "apart from him, nobody came", or to include, as in 除了英語，他也會法語|除了英语，他也会法语[chu2 le5 Ying1 yu3 , ta1 ye3 hui4 Fa3 yu3] "in addition to English, he also knows French")
- (used to introduce one of two habitual alternatives in the pattern 除了[chu2 le5] + A + 就是[jiu4 shi4] + B, "either A or B")
How to use 除了
除了 starts a phrase that either excludes something (paired with 都 or 也 plus a negative) or adds something (paired with 还 or 也). It also appears in the pattern 除了A就是B, meaning "if not A, then B" for habits. Example: 除了英语，他也会法语。(Chúle Yīngyǔ, tā yě huì Fǎyǔ.) In addition to English, he also knows French.
除 (chú) means to remove or take away, and 了 (le) marks it as done. So 除了 is like taking one thing out of the picture first, then talking about everything else.
Common mistake: Learners often forget that the second clause decides the meaning. 除了他，我们都去了 means "everyone except him went," while 除了他，我们也去了 means "we went too, besides him." Also, the 了 here is read with a neutral tone (le), not liǎo.
除了 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.
除 chú · to get rid of · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
了 le · completed action marker · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 除了.
| 为了 | wèile | for; for the purpose of; in order to |
| 极了 | jí le | extremely; exceedingly |
| 了解 | liǎojiě | to understand; to know about; to learn about; to find out |
| 了不起 | liǎobuqǐ | amazing; terrific |
| 受不了 | shòubuliǎo | unbearable; unable to endure |
| 除非 | chúfēi | only if (..., or otherwise, ...); only when |
| 解除 | jiěchú | to remove; to sack |
| 不得了 | bùdéliǎo | desperately serious; disastrous |
| 消除 | xiāochú | to eliminate; to remove |
| 排除 | páichú | to eliminate; to remove |
| 拆除 | chāichú | to tear down; to demolish |
| 除夕 | chúxī | lunar New Year's Eve |
Questions about 除了
What does 除了 mean?
除了 (chúle) means "apart from; besides; in addition to (used to exclude, as in 除了他，誰也沒來|除了他，谁也没来[chu2 le5 ta1 , shei2 ye3 mei2 lai2] "apart from him, nobody came", or to include, as in 除了英語，他也會法語|除了英语，他也会法语[chu2 le5 Ying1 yu3 , ta1 ye3 hui4 Fa3 yu3] "in addition to English, he also knows French"); (used to introduce one of two habitual alternatives in the pattern 除了[chu2 le5] + A + 就是[jiu4 shi4] + B, "either A or B")" and is used as a preposition.
How do you write 除了?
除了 is made of 2 characters: 除 (9 strokes), 了 (2 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 除了 an HSK word?
Yes. 除了 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I add 以外 or 之外 after 除了?
Yes. 除了……以外 and 除了……之外 are very common and mean the same thing. Example: 除了周末以外，我每天都上班 (I work every day except weekends).
What is the difference between 除了 and 除非?
除了 means "except" or "besides" and works with nouns or phrases. 除非 (chúfēi) means "unless" or "only if" and sets a condition, as in 除非下雨，我们就去 (We will go unless it rains).