Chinese word

那可不

Pronunciation

Pinyinnà kě bù

Meaning

  • interjectionyou bet

Example

他真勤快，那可不。tā zhēn qín kuài nà kě bù

He is really hardworking, you bet.

Illustration for 那可不 (you bet)

More examples

这菜真好吃，那可不。zhè cài zhēn hǎo chī nà kě bù

This dish is really delicious, that's for sure.

Core concept

A quick, emphatic verbal nod that treats the previous statement as plainly true.

Common phrases

  • 那可不是nà kě bú shì

    That's for sure

Similar words

是啊shì a: A simple spoken response showing agreement with another person's words.
对啊duì a: A casual reply that says an idea or judgment is right.
没错méi cuò: A brief spoken confirmation that there is no mistake in what was said.
当然dāng rán: A firm spoken response showing that something is plainly to be expected.

Definition in Chinese

口语中的感叹词，用来立即且有力地肯定前述的观点或事实，相当于“的确如此”“正是”。kóu yǔ zhōng de gǎn tàn cí yòng lái lì jí qiě yǒu lì dì kěn dìng qián shù de guān diǎn huò shì shí xiāng dāng yú dí què rú cǐ zhèng shì

Word origin

那可不 (nàkěbù, "that certainly is so") comes from shortening a rhetorical reply in which the negative wording reinforces rather than cancels the speaker's agreement.

Usage tips

  • It usually answers an immediately preceding observation, so it sounds like a lively conversational confirmation rather than a neutral statement of agreement.

Other meanings

  • of courseinterjection
  • indeedadverb

Word lists with this word