ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY
也

also / too

yě
3 strokes · 乙 (second radical) · HSK 1

Where 也 comes from

也 is an ancient pictograph whose original subject is debated — possibly a serpent, possibly a water basin. Whatever it once drew, it was borrowed long ago to serve as a grammar word: 'also, too', and in classical Chinese, a marker of emphasis at the end of a sentence.

也 in Chinese culture

也 means 'also' and sits right before the verb, not after the subject as in English: 我也是 = 'I am too' (literally 'I-also-am'), 我也好 = 'I'm also fine'. It's one of the highest-frequency function words in Chinese — you'll reach for it constantly to agree and add on.

Example

也 yě — also / too

我也是。
Wǒ yě shì.
Me too. / I am too.

How to remember it

A hook with a long sweeping stroke — the grammar word for ALSO.

也 goes before the verb, never after the subject like English 'too': 我也喜欢 = 'I also like it'. Master that placement and you sound instantly more natural.

Same sound, different tones

椰
1st yē
coconut
爷
2nd yé
grandfather
也
3rd yě
also
夜
4th yè
night

Words unlocked by 也

我也 wǒ yě
me too / I also
也好 yě hǎo
also fine / that works too
我也是 wǒ yě shì
me too

Related characters

LEARN 也 WITH STROKE-BY-STROKE WRITING → DOWNLOAD ZHIZHI
One character a morning · 455-character HSK library · iOS