Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 快點 / 快点 | kuàidiǎn |
| 抓緊時間 / 抓紧时间 | zhuājǐn shíjiān |
The most common way to tell someone to hurry up in daily conversation is to use 快點 / 快点.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 快點 / 快点 literally means 'fast a bit'. The character 點 (diǎn) acts as a quantifier meaning 'a bit' or 'a little'. The phrase 抓緊時間 / 抓紧时间 literally means 'to grasp time tightly', implying that one should make the most of the time remaining.
Which one should you use?
Use 快點 / 快点 to tell someone to increase their speed of movement or action. In contrast, use 抓緊時間 / 抓紧时间 when you want to focus on making better use of available time.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong Cantonese, the phrase 快啲 is used to mean 'hurry up'. In Mainland China, 加快速度 can be used to express 'hurry up'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 快點 / 快点, the character 點 (diǎn) acts as a quantifier meaning 'a bit' or 'a little', which makes the command sound more natural than just saying 'fast'.
How do you pronounce it?
kuàidiǎn
Did you know?
- While 快點 / 快点 is a command to hurry, the character 快 also means 'happy' or 'pleasant' in contexts like 快le /快乐, which means 'happy'.
- The Cantonese version 快啲 uses the character 啲, which is a specialized Cantonese word for 'a few' or 'a bit' that does not appear in standard Mandarin.
- If you use the phrase 抓緊時間 / 抓紧时间 (grasp time tightly) with a superior at work, it might sound like you are commanding them to work harder, which can be seen as rude.
Examples in context
- 快点，我们要迟到了！Hurry up, we're going to be late!
- 快点儿吧，别让人等太久了。Hurry up, don't make people wait too long!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hurry up” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
