快 kuài — fast; quick; swift
时间过得真快。Shí jiān guò de zhēn kuài.Time really flies.
Common words: 快乐 (kuài lè)、快要 (kuài yào)、快餐 (kuài cān)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "fast"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "fast", including 快 (kuài), 速 (sù), 讯 (xùn), 牢 (láo). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "fast" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 快 (kuài), 速 (sù), 讯 (xùn), 牢 (láo) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span kuài, sù, xùn, láo — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 快 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 快 kuàifast; quick; swiftUseful words: 快乐, 快要
- 速 sùfast; rapid; quickUseful words: 速度, 快速
- 讯 xùnto question; to ask; to interrogate; rapid; speedy; fastUseful words: 通讯, 资讯
- 牢 láofirm; fastUseful words: 牢固, 牢骚
Common words for these 4 "fast" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 快 (kuài) — so "fast" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
快乐kuài lèhappy; joyful快要kuài yàonearly at the point of (doing sth); about to (do sth)快餐kuài cānfast food; snack; quick meal速度sù dùspeed; rate; velocity; (music) tempo快速kuài sùfast; high-speed; rapid高速gāo sùhigh speed; expressway通讯tōng xùncommunications; news story; dispatch资讯zī xùninformation电讯diàn xùntelecommunications; telecom牢固láo gùfirm; secure
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "fast".
速 sù — fast; rapid; quick
火车的速度越来越快。Huǒ chē de sù dù yuè lái yuè kuài.The train speed is getting faster and faster.
Common words: 速度 (sù dù)、快速 (kuài sù)、高速 (gāo sù)
讯 xùn — to question; to ask; to interrogate; rapid; speedy; fast
他给我发来了一条短讯。Tā gěi wǒ fā lái le yì tiáo duǎn xùn.He sent me a short message.
Common words: 通讯 (tōng xùn)、资讯 (zī xùn)、电讯 (diàn xùn)
牢 láo — firm; fast
我们要把基础知识记得牢牢的。Wǒ men yào bǎ jī chǔ zhī shi jì de láo láo de.We should remember the basics firmly.
Common words: 牢固 (láo gù)、牢骚 (láo sāo)、牢牢 (láo láo)
All 4 characters
Open 快、速、讯 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.