Definitions
(adverb)
again; once more
(adverb)
also; in addition
(particle)
both... and...; and yet
Etymology
Pictograph of a hand. The character is based on the original meaning "hand". The current meaning "again" is a phonetic loan.
About
The character 又 originated as a pictograph of a right hand, fingers upward, and is the ancestral form of the modern character 右. Over time, its primary meaning shifted via phonetic loan to grammatical uses like "again" or "also", eclipsing its original physical sense in standalone use. As a radical, it often signifies hand-related action or manipulation, forming the semantic core of many verb compounds. To preserve the original meaning of "right side", the mouth component was added, creating 右 to distinguish the spatial direction from the borrowed adverbial sense.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
今天又下雨了。
我又忘了带钥匙。
她又是第一名。
他又高又帅。
这个问题又复杂又重要。
他昨天来了，今天又来了。
这部电影又感人又有趣。
他不仅工作努力，又经常帮助同事。