Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 雖然 / 虽然 | suīrán | |
| 儘管 / 尽管 | jǐnguǎn | |
| 雖說 / 虽说 | suīshuō | colloquial |
All forms are used to express the idea of 'in spite of the fact that'.
What does it mean word for word?
In the form 雖然 / 虽然, the character 雖 (suī) means 'although' and 然 (rán) is a particle used to form adverbs or conjunctions, roughly meaning 'in that manner'.
Which one should you use?
雖然 / 虽然 (suīrán) is the most standard and neutral way to express 'although' in both spoken and written Chinese. 儘管 / 尽管 (jǐnguǎn) often carries a stronger sense of 'even though' or 'despite' and can function as both a conjunction and a preposition. 雖說 / 虽说 (suīshuō) is used to introduce a concession or a common saying.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
儘管 / 尽管 is a formal way to express 'although'. In contrast, 雖說 / 虽说 is a colloquial form used in spoken language.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the conjunction 雖然 / 虽然, it is frequently paired with 'but' (但是 or 可是) in the second clause of the sentence to form the 'although… but…' structure.
How do you pronounce it?
suīrán
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget to include a 'but' (但是) in the second clause when using 'although' in Chinese. However, the 'although/but' pairing is the standard grammatical structure.
Did you know?
- While 雖然 / 虽然 and 儘管 / 尽管 both mean 'although', 儘管 / 尽管 is often used when the speaker wants to emphasize a sense of defiance or stubbornness.
- In very formal written Chinese, you might see 雖 / 虽 used alone without the 'rán' (然), which can be quite jarring to a student used to the standard two-syllable rhythm.
- In English, using both 'although' and 'but' in one sentence is a grammatical error, but in Chinese, omitting the 但是 (dànshì) after 雖然 (suīrán) can sometimes sound incomplete or unnatural to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- 虽然外面下着雨，我们还是要去公园。Although it's raining outside, we still want to go to the park.
- 尽管外面很冷，他还是穿了一件薄外套。Although it's very cold outside, he still wore a thin jacket.
- 虽然他很累，可是他还是要继续工作。Although he is tired, he still wants to continue working.
- 即使很累，他还是坚持锻炼身体。Although he is tired, he still insists on exercising.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “although” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
