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 "quick"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "quick", including 快 (kuài), 速 (sù), 灵 (líng), 捷 (jié). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "quick" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 快 (kuài), 速 (sù), 灵 (líng), 捷 (jié) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span kuài, sù, líng, jié — 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
- 灵 língalert; departed soul; efficacious; quick; effective; intelligenceUseful words: 灵活, 灵魂
- 捷 jiévictory; triumph; quick; prompt; rapidUseful words: 快捷, 敏捷
Common words for these 4 "quick" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 快 (kuài) — so "quick" 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灵活líng huóflexible; nimble; agile灵魂líng húnsoul; spirit心灵xīn língbright; smart; quick-witted; heart快捷kuài jiéquick; fast; nimble; agile
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 "quick".
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)
灵 líng — alert; departed soul; efficacious; quick; effective; intelligence
这只小狗很机灵。Zhè zhī xiǎo gǒu hěn jī líng.This little dog is very clever.
Common words: 灵活 (líng huó)、灵魂 (líng hún)、心灵 (xīn líng)
捷 jié — victory; triumph; quick; prompt; rapid
走这条小路是去学校的捷径。Zǒu zhè tiáo xiǎo lù shì qù xué xiào de jié jìng.Taking this small path is a shortcut to school.
Common words: 快捷 (kuài jié)、敏捷 (mǐn jié)、便捷 (biàn jié)
All 4 characters
Open 快、速、灵 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.