又 vs 再 vs 还 in Mandarin: Three Ways to Say Again
By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026
English says "again" whether the repeat has happened or not. Mandarin splits it: (yòu) for a repeat that has happened, (zài) for one still to come. (hái) is no repeat at all: the same thing is still going on.
Quick check
Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.
Pick the right one
0/3Pick 又, 再 or 还. The English in brackets says which.
他昨天来了。 (he came yet again yesterday)
tā zuó tiān ___ lái le 。 (he came yet again yesterday)
请你明天来。 (please come again tomorrow)
qǐng nǐ míng tiān ___ lái 。 (please come again tomorrow)
他在中国。 (he's still in China)
tā ___ zài zhōng guó 。 (he's still in China)
The whole system on one screen
The colours stay the same all page long:
| Word | Job | Hanzi | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| (yòu) | a repeat that happened | 。 | He's come again |
| (zài) | a repeat still to come | 。 | Come again tomorrow |
| (hái) | the same thing, still on | 。 | He's still here |
又 yòu: it has happened again
还 hái: still going on
再 zài: it will happen again
Timeline from past to future, with now marked.
All three sit in the adverb slot: after the subject, before the verb.
Three words, one dividing line
The line runs through "now". Has the repeat happened yet?
。(Tā yòu lái le.) - He's come again. It happened: he is here.。(Nǐ zài lái yí cì.) - Come again. It has not happened: you might.。(Tā hái zài zhèr.) - He's still here. Nothing repeated: the first visit never ended.
Decide which side of "now" the repeat is on, and the word picks itself.
又 (yòu): it happened again
(yòu) reports a repeat the speaker has seen. Because the event is done, (le) usually comes with it:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Wǒ yòu wàng le. | I've forgotten again |
。 | Tā yòu mǎi le yí ge shǒujī. | He's bought yet another phone |
，。 | Zuótiān xià yǔ, jīntiān yòu xià yǔ le. | It rained yesterday, and again today |
(yòu) is often "not this again": ？ (nǐ zěnme yòu lái le?), what, you're here again?
It can point forwards when the repeat is certain, set by the calendar or by routine:
。(Míngtiān yòu shì xīngqīyī.) - Tomorrow's Monday again.
再 (zài): it has not happened yet
(zài) points forward: requests, offers, plans. In a plain "once more" there is no final (le):
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn. | Please say it again |
。 | Zài lái yì bēi ba. | Have another cup |
。 | Wǒmen míngtiān zài shuō. | Let's talk about it tomorrow |
。 | Nǐ chī wán fàn zài zǒu. | Eat first, then go |
The last row is not a repeat at all: (zài) can mean "and then", for the order of two things still to come. (míngtiān zài shuō) is also the polite way to shelve a subject without saying no.
The error that gives you away
Swapping (yòu) and (zài) marks a learner fast, because it puts a past repeat in the future or the other way round:
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
。 | 。 | it has happened: (yòu) |
。 | 。 | a request is still to come: (zài) |
。 | 。 | no final on a plain (zài) |
The (le) is the tell. If the sentence reports a repeat with (le), you want (yòu). If it asks, offers or plans, you want (zài).
还 (hái): it has not stopped
(hái) repeats nothing. One situation started and has not ended:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Tā hái zài shuìjiào. | He's still asleep |
？ | Nǐ hái zài zhèr? | You're still here? |
。 | Xiànzài hái zǎo. | It's still early |
。 | Wǒ hái méi chī fàn. | I haven't eaten yet |
The last row is "not yet". (wǒ méi chī fàn) is just "I didn't eat"; (wǒ hái méi chī fàn) says the meal is still ahead, which matters when someone is about to feed you.
With (yào) or (xiǎng), (hái) can look forward: (wǒ míngtiān hái yào lái), I'll be coming again tomorrow. Read it as "still": the plan is still on.
The same character read huán is a different word, "to give back": (huán shū), return a book.
又 (yòu) ... 又 (yòu) ...: both, and
Twice, before two adjectives or two verbs, (yòu) means "both… and". The two usually point the same way:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Zhège cài yòu piányi yòu hǎochī. | This dish is cheap and tasty |
。 | Tā yòu lèi yòu è. | He's tired and hungry |
。 | Tā yòu huì chànggē yòu huì tiàowǔ. | She can sing and dance |
For "cheap but not tasty", use (suīrán)… (dànshì) instead: ， (suīrán piányi, dànshì bù hǎochī). More on the conjunctions page.
再 (zài)… 也 (yě): however much, and never again
(zài) + adjective + (yě) means "however… still". Picture the quality pushed further, and nothing changes:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Zài nán yě yào zuò wán. | However hard it is, it must be finished |
。 | Zài guì wǒ yě yào mǎi. | However dear it is, I'm buying it |
。 | Zài máng yě yào chī fàn. | However busy you are, you must eat |
The same two words make "never again". (zài yě bù) is a decision about the future; (zài yě méi) looks back:
。(Wǒ zài yě bú qù nà jiā diàn le.) - I'm never going to that shop again.。(Tā zài yě méi lái guo.) - He never came again.
The (le) in the first is the "change of situation" (le): a new decision, not a finished repeat.
还 (hái) in comparisons: even more
In a (bǐ) comparison, (hái) adds "even": the standard was already high.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Tā bǐ wǒ gāo. | He's taller than me |
。 | Tā bǐ wǒ gèng gāo. | He's even taller than me |
。 | Tā bǐ wǒ hái gāo. | He's even taller than me (and I'm tall!) |
。 | Jīntiān bǐ zuótiān hái lěng. | Today's even colder than yesterday |
(gèng) and (hái) are close here. (hái) tends to carry surprise; (gèng) is the plainer choice in writing.
还有 (hái yǒu): and also
(hái yǒu) adds one more item, and it can open a sentence:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
、，。 | Wǒ mǎi le chá, kāfēi, hái yǒu niúnǎi. | I bought tea, coffee and milk |
。 | Hái yǒu yí jiàn shì. | And one more thing |
(hé) joins nouns but cannot open a sentence; (hái yǒu) can.
(hái) also softens an opinion: (hái xíng) and (hái kěyǐ) both mean "it's all right", and nobody is committing to enthusiasm.
- 很好hěn hǎo: very good
- 不错búcuò: pretty good
- 还可以 / 还行hái kěyǐ, hái xíng: it’s all right
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
。 | 。 | the repeat has happened: (yòu) |
。 | 。 | a request is still to come: (zài) |
。 | 。 | no final (le) on a plain (zài) |
… (yòu… yòu) is on the AQA GCSE Chinese specification at Foundation and Higher tier.
What to do next
- Do the drill below.
- Say one thing you have done again this week (
(yòu)…(le)) and one thing you will do again ((zài)). - Then read sooner or later: 就 (jiù) and 才 (cái), the other pair of adverbs that read the speaker's expectations.