How common it is
久 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say jiǔ slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“久”用来表示时间的长久。比如，我们可以说‘我很久没见你了’来表达长时间不见的意思。
jiǔ lái bǎo shí de cháng jiǔ. rúbùkěyǐ, wǒ men kěyǐ shuō ‘wǒ hěn jiǔ méi jiàn nǐ le’ lái biǎo达长时间不见的意思。
“久” is used to indicate a long time. For example, we can say '我很久没见你了' to express that we haven't seen each other for a long time.
Context note
这个字常用于描述时间的长度，比如在问候朋友时说‘好久不见’。
zhè gè zì cháng yòng lái miáo shù shí jiān de cháng dù, rúbùkěyǐ zài wèn hòu péng you shí shuō ‘hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn’。
This character is often used to describe the length of time, such as saying '好久不见' when greeting friends.
5 examples
我们很久没见了。
wǒ men hěn jiǔ méi jiàn le。
We haven't seen each other for a long time.
这本杂志已经出版了很久。
zhè běn zá zhì yǐ jīng chū bǎn le hěn jiǔ。
This magazine has been published for a long time.
他很久没来上课了。
tā hěn jiǔ méi lái shàng kè le。
He hasn't come to class for a long time.
这个故事已经流传了很久。
zhè ge gù shì yǐ jīng liú chuán le hěn jiǔ。
This story has been passed down for a long time.
他们结婚很久了。
tā men jié hūn hěn jiǔ le。
They have been married for a long time.
5 mini stories
小明和小红是好朋友，他们已经很久没见面了。
xiǎo míng hé xiǎo hóng shì hǎo péng yǒu， tā men yǐ jīng hěn jiǔ méi jiàn miàn le。
Xiao Ming and Xiao Hong are good friends, but they haven't seen each other for a long time.
妈妈说这个玩具我已经玩了很久了。
mā ma shuō zhè ge wán jù wǒ yǐ jīng wán le hěn jiǔ le。
Mom said I have been playing with this toy for a long time.
爷爷讲的故事已经流传很久了，大家都很喜欢听。
yé ye jiǎng de gù shì yǐ jīng liú chuán hěn jiǔ le， dà jiā dōu hěn xǐ huan tīng。
Grandpa's stories have been passed down for a long time, and everyone likes to listen to them.
这个项目已经进行了很久，进展顺利。
zhè ge xiàng mù yǐ jīng jìn xíng le hěn jiǔ， jìn zhǎn shùn lì。
This project has been ongoing for a long time, and it is progressing smoothly.
这本书我已经读了很久了，还有很多地方没看懂。
zhè běn shū wǒ yǐ jīng dú le hěn jiǔ le， hái yǒu hěn duō dì fāng méi kàn dǒng。
I have been reading this book for a long time, but there are still many parts I don't understand.