差
不
多

About

The word "差不多" is formed through the literal combination of its three constituent characters: 差 (chà), meaning "to lack" or "to be short of", 不 (bù), meaning "not", and 多 (duō), meaning "much" or "many". Together, they produce the direct meaning "not much lacking", which has been lexicalized into an idiom conveying the sense of "almost", "approximately", or "similar".

Example Sentences Hide

现在差不多五点了。

Xiànzài chàbuduō wǔ diǎn le.

It's almost five o'clock now.

这两个苹果差不多大。

Zhè liǎng gè píngguǒ chàbuduō dà.

These two apples are almost the same size.

我们的成绩差不多一样好。

Wǒmen de chéngjì chàbuduō yīyàng hǎo.

Our grades are almost equally good.

我差不多每天都要练习钢琴。

Wǒ chàbuduō měitiān dōu yào liànxí gāngqín.

I practice piano almost every day.

虽然他们来自不同国家，但想法差不多。

Suīrán tāmen láizì bùtóng guójiā, dàn xiǎngfǎ chàbuduō.

Although they come from different countries, their thoughts are almost the same.

Word Definition - 差不多

chà bu duō almost; nearly; more or less; about the same; good enough; not bad

Individual Character Details

差 chā, chà, chāi, cī
不 bù
多 duō