How to Use 几乎 || Expressing “Almost” in Chinese

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HOW TO USE 几乎 in Chinese

几乎 (jī hū) means almost or nearly in Chinese.

It is used to indicate that something is very close to happening or being true, but hasn’t fully happened or isn’t entirely true.

It can describe both positive and negative situations.

几乎 + VERB/VERB PHRASE

This chapter focuses on how 几乎 is used to modify verbs to indicate an action that almost happened or was nearly performed.

几乎 is placed before a verb or verb phrase.
It often describes situations where an event came close to occurring but did not.

PATTERN

几乎 + [Verb/Adjective/Noun]

^{Wǒ jīntiān zǎoshang qǐ wǎn le, jīhū chídào le.}

我今天早上起晚了，几乎迟到了。

_{I woke up late this morning and was almost late.}

View More Examples:

他紧张得几乎说不出话来。	Tā jǐnzhāng de jīhū shuō bù chū huà lái.	He was so nervous that he could barely speak.
我几乎忘了今天有考试。	Wǒ jīhū wàngle jīntiān yǒu kǎoshì.	I almost forgot there was an exam today.
这本书太有意思了，我几乎一口气读完了。	Zhè běn shū tài yǒuyìsi le, wǒ jīhū yī kǒu qì dú wán le.	This book was so interesting that I almost read it all in one go.
小猫跳得太高了，几乎摔下来了。	Xiǎo māo tiào de tài gāo le, jīhū shuāi xià lái le.	The kitten jumped so high that it almost fell down.
他跑得太快了，几乎撞到了树上。	Tā pǎo de tài kuài le, jīhū zhuàng dào le shù shàng.	He ran so fast that he almost hit the tree.
我几乎没赶上最后一班地铁。	Wǒ jīhū méi gǎnshàng zuìhòu yī bān dìtiě.	I almost missed the last subway train.
雨下得太大了，几乎淋湿了我的衣服。	Yǔ xià de tài dà le, jīhū lín shī le wǒ de yīfu.	The rain was so heavy that it almost soaked my clothes.

几乎 WITH ADJECTIVES

This chapter explores how 几乎 is used to modify adjectives to describe states or degrees that are almost reached.

几乎 is placed before an adjective or an adjective phrase.
It expresses that something is close to a certain condition or degree but not fully there.

^{Tiānqì tài rè le, wǒ jīhū shòubùliǎo le.}

天气太热了，我几乎受不了了。

_{The weather is so hot that I can barely stand it.}

View More Examples:

这个问题几乎不可能解决。	Zhège wèntí jīhū bù kěnéng jiějué.	This problem is almost impossible to solve.
他累得几乎站不住了。	Tā lèi de jīhū zhàn bù zhù le.	He was so tired that he could barely stand.
这座山几乎和天一样高。	Zhè zuò shān jīhū hé tiān yīyàng gāo.	This mountain is almost as high as the sky.
这些菜几乎都是素食的。	Zhèxiē cài jīhū dōu shì sùshí de.	These dishes are almost all vegetarian.
我的书架几乎满了。	Wǒ de shūjià jīhū mǎn le.	My bookshelf is almost full.
她的声音小得几乎听不到了。	Tā de shēngyīn xiǎo de jīhū tīng bù dào le.	Her voice was so soft that it was barely audible.
这个地方几乎没有人知道。	Zhège dìfāng jīhū méiyǒu rén zhīdào.	Almost nobody knows about this place.

几乎 WITH NOUNS

This chapter covers the use of 几乎 to modify nouns, emphasizing that something applies to almost all or none of a group.

几乎 is placed before a noun or noun phrase.
It conveys the idea of almost all or almost none.

^{Tā de shū jīhū měi gè rén dōu dú guò.}

他的书几乎每个人都读过。

_{Almost everyone has read his books.}

View More Examples:

这次比赛几乎所有人都参加了。	Zhè cì bǐsài jīhū suǒyǒu rén dōu cānjiā le.	Almost everyone participated in this competition.
那件事几乎没人知道。	Nà jiàn shì jīhū méi rén zhīdào.	Almost nobody knows about that matter.
这个商场几乎所有商品都有折扣。	Zhège shāngchǎng jīhū suǒyǒu shāngpǐn dōu yǒu zhékòu.	Almost all the products in this mall are discounted.
她的画几乎每幅都获过奖。	Tā de huà jīhū měi fú dōu huò guò jiǎng.	Almost every painting of hers has won an award.
这个国家几乎所有人都爱吃面条。	Zhège guójiā jīhū suǒyǒu rén dōu ài chī miàntiáo.	Almost everyone in this country loves noodles.
那天的活动几乎没人迟到。	Nà tiān de huódòng jīhū méi rén chídào.	Almost no one was late for the event that day.
这座城市几乎每个地方都有历史遗迹。	Zhè zuò chéngshì jīhū měi gè dìfāng dōu yǒu lìshǐ yíjì.	Almost every place in this city has historical sites.

几乎 WITH COMMON COLLOCATIONS

This chapter highlights collocations with 几乎 to show its flexibility in expressions.

几乎 is often paired with 都 (dōu), 不 (bù), or 没 (méi) for emphasis or negation.
These collocations provide subtle nuances of almost all or barely.

几乎 + 都 (jīhū dōu): Used for generalizations.	这些东西几乎都很便宜。 Zhèxiē dōngxī jīhū dōu hěn piányi. These things are almost all cheap.
几乎 + 没 (jīhū méi): Expresses that something rarely happens.	我几乎没见过他。 Wǒ jīhū méi jiànguò tā. I have almost never seen him.
几乎 + 不 (jīhū bù): Indicates that something barely happens.	他几乎不说话。 Tā jīhū bù shuōhuà. He hardly speaks.

^{Zhèxiē dōngxī jīhū dōu hěn piányi.}

这些东西几乎都很便宜。

_{These things are almost all cheap.}

^{Tā jīhū méi tīng dǒng lǎoshī de huà.}

他几乎没听懂老师的话。

_{He almost didn’t understand the teacher’s words.}

View More Examples:

她几乎不和人聊天。	Tā jīhū bù hé rén liáotiān.	She hardly ever chats with people.
那个地方几乎没什么人去过。	Nà gè dìfāng jīhū méi shénme rén qù guò.	Almost no one has ever been to that place.
我们的意见几乎都一样。	Wǒmen de yìjiàn jīhū dōu yīyàng.	Our opinions are almost all the same.
他几乎没完成作业。	Tā jīhū méi wánchéng zuòyè.	He barely finished his homework.
这场比赛几乎不可能赢。	Zhè chǎng bǐsài jīhū bù kěnéng yíng.	It’s almost impossible to win this match.
我们几乎所有人都去看电影了。	Wǒmen jīhū suǒyǒu rén dōu qù kàn diànyǐng le.	Almost all of us went to watch the movie.

几乎 MODIFY THE ENTIRE SENTENCE

When 几乎 is placed at the beginning of a sentence, it emphasizes that the entire situation or action described in the sentence was close to happening or being true.

几乎 can modify the overall meaning of the sentence, suggesting almost or nearly.
This usage creates a broader focus compared to modifying specific verbs, adjectives, or nouns.

^{Jīhū suǒyǒu rén dōu zhīchí zhège tì’àn.}

几乎所有人都支持这个提案。

_{Almost everyone supports this proposal.}

View More Examples:

几乎没什么人来参加会议。	Jīhū méi shénme rén lái cānjiā huìyì.	Almost no one came to the meeting.
几乎每个学生都完成了作业。	Jīhū měi gè xuéshēng dōu wánchéng le zuòyè.	Almost every student finished their homework.
几乎没有人听说过这个小村庄。	Jīhū méiyǒu rén tīngshuō guò zhège xiǎo cūnzhuāng.	Almost no one has heard of this small village.
几乎所有的树都被风吹倒了。	Jīhū suǒyǒu de shù dōu bèi fēng chuī dǎo le.	Almost all the trees were blown down by the wind.
几乎没有人相信他的解释。	Jīhū méiyǒu rén xiāngxìn tā de jiěshì.	Almost no one believes his explanation.
几乎所有的商店都关门了。	Jīhū suǒyǒu de shāngdiàn dōu guānmén le.	Almost all the stores are closed.
几乎每个朋友都向我推荐了这本书。	Jīhū měi gè péngyǒu dōu xiàng wǒ tuījiàn le zhè běn shū.	Almost every friend recommended this book to me.

SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS

➡️ 几乎 vs. 差点儿 (chàdiǎnr):
Both mean almost, but 几乎 is more neutral and describes something generally close to reality. 差点儿 often implies something negative nearly happened.

我几乎迟到了 (neutral: I was almost late).
我差点儿迟到了 (negative: I nearly ended up late).

➡️ 几乎 vs. 将近 (jiāngjìn):
几乎 emphasizes the qualitative closeness, while 将近 is used for quantitative approximations.

我几乎忘了 (I almost forgot).
他将近一米九 (He is nearly 1.9 meters tall).

Comparison Table – 几乎 vs. 差点儿 vs. 将近

Aspect	几乎 (jīhū)	差点儿 (chàdiǎnr)	将近 (jiāngjìn)
Meaning	Almost; nearly. Neutral tone.	Almost; narrowly avoided negative outcome.	Nearly; close to (used for numbers).
Tone	Neutral.	Emotional, often implies relief or regret.	Neutral and factual.
Usage Focus	Qualitative closeness to reality.	Something negative was narrowly avoided.	Quantitative approximations.
Applies to	States, actions, emotions.	Negative outcomes or undesired situations.	Numbers, quantities, or measurements.
Key Distinction	Describes proximity to reality or truth.	Describes an undesired situation narrowly avoided.	Describes proximity to a numerical value.
Examples	我几乎忘了带钥匙。 Wǒ jīhū wàng le dài yàoshi. I almost forgot my keys.	我差点儿忘了带钥匙。 Wǒ chàdiǎnr wàng le dài yàoshi. I nearly forgot my keys.	他将近两米高。 Tā jiāngjìn liǎng mǐ gāo. He is nearly two meters tall.
	他几乎每天都迟到。 Tā jīhū měitiān dōu chídào. He’s almost late every day.	他差点儿没赶上公交车。 Tā chàdiǎnr méi gǎn shàng gōngjiāochē. He almost missed the bus.	这里的温度将近零下十度。 Zhèlǐ de wēndù jiāngjìn líng xià shí dù. The temperature here is nearly -10°C.

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FAQs

What is the difference between 几乎 and 差点?

几乎 is often used for general situations, including both positive and negative outcomes, while 差点 is mostly used when something negative was narrowly avoided.

Can 几乎 be used with verbs and adjectives?

Yes, 几乎 can modify verbs, adjectives, and even entire phrases, making it a versatile word for expressing “almost.”

Is 几乎 more common written or spoken?

几乎 is used in both spoken and written Chinese, though it is slightly more formal than 差点.

Can 几乎 be used in negative sentences?

Yes, but it is usually combined with 没 (méi) to indicate that something almost happened but didn’t.

For example: 我几乎没认出你！(I almost didn’t recognize you!)

How is 几乎 different from 大概 or 差不多?

While all three can express approximation, 大概 and 差不多 are more about estimating quantities or degrees.

几乎 emphasizes that something almost happened but didn’t fully occur.

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Chinese Grammar Bank

HOW TO USE 几乎 in Chinese

几乎 + VERB/VERB PHRASE

PATTERN

几乎 WITH ADJECTIVES

几乎 WITH NOUNS

几乎 WITH COMMON COLLOCATIONS

几乎 MODIFY THE ENTIRE SENTENCE

SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS

Comparison Table – 几乎 vs. 差点儿 vs. 将近

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FAQs

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