What does 宁可 mean in Chinese?

宁可 (nìng kě) means "preferably; one would prefer to...(or not to...); would rather; (would) be better to; (to pick) the lesser of two evils" in Chinese. It is an HSK Level 5 word.

How do you pronounce 宁可?

宁可 is pronounced "nìng kě" in Mandarin Chinese. It is made up of 2 syllables.

What characters make up 宁可?

宁可 is made up of the characters 宁, 可. Each character has its own meaning and can appear in other words.

How do you write 宁可?

You can practice writing 宁可 using our stroke order tool.

宁可 (nìng kě), preferably

宁可

nìng kě

preferably; one would prefer to...(or not to...); would rather; (would) be better to

HSK 5

Traditional: 寧可

Characters in This Word

宁可

Definitions

preferably
one would prefer to...(or not to...)
would rather
(would) be better to
(to pick) the lesser of two evils

Example Sentences

我宁可走路也不坐他的车。

Wǒ nìngkě zǒulù yě bù zuò tā de chē

I would rather walk than ride in his car

Related Words

宁肯(nìng kěn)· would rather...

→

宁(níng)· peaceful

→

宁做鸡头，不做凤尾(nìng zuò jī tóu , bù zuò fèng wěi)· lit. would rather be a chicken's head than a phoenix's tail (idiom)

→

宁缺毋滥(nìng quē wú làn)· better to have nothing (than substandard choice) (idiom); would prefer to go without than accept shoddy option

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Grammar Notes

Rather...Than (宁可...也不)HSK 4

宁可 + Action A，也不 + Action B

HSK & Exam Info

HSK 2.0: Level 5

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Frequently Asked Questions

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.

宁可