偶尔

ǒu ěr

HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 4 Common

Definitions

1. occasionally
2. once in a while
3. sometimes

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 经常 jīng cháng 经常 jīng cháng frequently; constantly; regularly; often 偶尔 means occasionally, 经常 means often.: frequently; constantly; regularly; often

Related words

1 item

• 偶然 ǒu rán 偶然 ǒu rán incidentally 偶然 means 'accidentally' or 'by chance', while 偶尔 is about infrequency.: incidentally

Synonyms

1 item

• 有时 yǒu shí 有时 yǒu shí sometimes Both mean 'sometimes', but 偶尔 emphasizes less frequency, like 'once in a while'.: sometimes

Usage notes

Collocations

Used before a verb to describe doing something occasionally, e.g., 我偶尔去跑步 (I occasionally go running).

Common mistakes

Don't confuse with 偶然 (ǒurán, accidental). 偶尔 is about low frequency, not chance.

Example Sentences

2 shown

我 偶尔 去图书馆看书。

I occasionally go to the library to read.

我 偶尔 做。

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 9419131)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 偶尔

• 偶 偶 ǒu: accidental
• 尔 尔 ěr: thus