(kuài sù) - rapid, high-speed in Mandarin
kuàisùTraditional: 快速
Translation
rapid, high-speed
Word origin
A compound of 快 (kuài, fast) and 速 (sù, speed, rapid), two near-synonyms paired for emphasis in the usual literary pattern.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 快 (kuài, fast) + 速 (sù, speed)
Stroke order
快
速
Examples
。
This city is developing rapidly.
。
We need a quick method.
阅。
Speed reading is a skill.
。
He opened the door with a swift movement.
。
There is a lot of traffic on the expressway.
快速 (kuài sù) means fast, but it is the formal register of fast. It lives in written Chinese, in headlines and in technical labels: 快速发展 (rapid development), 快速阅读 (speed reading), 快速通道 (fast lane).
Do not reach for it in ordinary conversation. If someone asks you to walk quicker, the natural line is 快一点, not 快速一点. Plain 快 covers nearly all daily use, and swapping in 快速 makes you sound like a company report.
Grammatically it behaves as a two-syllable adjective, so it wants 的 before a noun (快速的办法) and 地 before a verb (快速地走). Bare 快 needs neither, which is another reason the short form dominates in speech.
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快速: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "快速" (rapid, high-speed): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 57.