去 qù — to go; to leave; to remove
周末我想去海边。Zhōu mò wǒ xiǎng qù hǎi biān.I want to go to the seaside this weekend.
Common words: 出去 (chū qù)、去年 (qù nián)、回去 (huí qu)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to leave"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to leave", including 去 (qù), 离 (lí). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to leave" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 去 (qù), 离 (lí) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span qù, lí — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 去 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 去 qùto go; to leave; to removeUseful words: 出去, 去年
- 离 líto leave; to depart; to go away; fromUseful words: 离开, 离婚
Common words for these 2 "to leave" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 去 (qù) — so "to leave" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 2 ways to say "to leave".
离 lí — to leave; to depart; to go away; from
火车站离这儿不远。Huǒ chē zhàn lí zhèr bù yuǎn.The train station is not far from here.
Common words: 离开 (lí kāi)、离婚 (lí hūn)、距离 (jù lí)
All 2 characters
Open 去、离 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.