How to Use Qù in Chinese (去): Grammar and Expressions

The Chinese word Qù (去) is one of the first verbs every learner encounters, meaning “to go.” This guide explains its meaning, tone, and writing, shows how to use it in sentences, and clarifies the difference between Qù (去) and Lái (来) through clear examples and expressions.

I. What Does Qù (去) Mean in Chinese?

The Mandarin character 去 (qù) is one of the first verbs that learners encounter when studying Chinese. The word qù (去) means "to go" in English. It describes an action of moving away from the speaker or going toward another place. Unlike some verbs that have abstract or formal uses, "qù" is high-frequency, concrete, and conversational—making it crucial for foundational fluency.

Example: 我去学校。(Wǒ qù xuéxiào.) → I go to school.

This verb is intransitive by nature (it doesn’t require an object to be meaningful), but it’s often followed by a location, another verb, or a verb phrase to indicate destination or intention.

“Qù” appears early in almost every beginner-level curriculum:

• In HSK 1, it is used in simple sentence structures such as “我去北京” (I go to Beijing).
• In HSK 2 and beyond, you’ll find more combinations, like modal particles “要去…” (going to…) or complex phrases like “去买东西” (go shopping).

Because of its simplicity and real-life relevance, it is often one of the first motion verbs taught, alongside 来 (lái) which means “to come”.

Understanding and using 去 confidently builds a strong grammatical and conversational foundation for navigating Mandarin with accuracy and fluency.

1. How to Say and Write 去: Pronunciation, Tone, and Stroke Order

Mastering the character 去 (qù) involves more than just knowing its meaning—it requires correctly pronouncing, writing, and recognizing it in both spoken and written Chinese. In this section, we’ll walk through how to pronounce 去 naturally, understand its tone, and write it following the correct stroke order.

Pronunciation of 去 (qù)

In pinyin, 去 is written as qù and pronounced in the fourth tone, which is a falling tone—starting high and dropping sharply. This gives it a strong, decisive sound.

Pronunciation breakdown:

• q: Sounds like "ch" in cheese, but with the tongue placed closer to the front of your mouth.
• ü: A rounded front vowel similar to the German "ü" or the French "u" in tu. Be sure to keep your lips rounded.

Tip for beginners: When the vowel “ü” follows the initials j, q, or x, it is typed as “u,” but still pronounced as “ü.” So “qù” is pronounced with the "ü" sound even though it looks like "qu."

IPA phonetic transcription: [t͡ɕʰŷ]

Stroke Order of 去

In writing Chinese, stroke order is essential for legibility and preparing for more advanced character recognition (especially for handwriting or HSK exams). The character 去 consists of 5 individual strokes, and follows a strict top-to-bottom, left-to-right logic.

Quick facts:

• Radical: 土 (tǔ) at the bottom, meaning “earth”
• Total strokes: 5
• Stroke order (in basic terms):

1. 1. Horizontal
   2. Vertical down
   3. Short right dot
   4. Left-falling stroke
   5. Right-falling stroke

Mnemonic to remember 去: Some learners see it as a person leaving the ground (“earth”) to go somewhere—which aligns with its meaning: to go.

Practice Tips:

• Download printable stroke order practice sheets or use apps like Skritter or Tofu Learn.
• Trace the character until you can write it freehand from memory.
• Use grid paper like tianzige (田字格) to maintain consistency and proportion.

By correctly pronouncing and writing 去, you’re building a solid foundation for many essential verbs and sentence patterns in Mandarin. The better your accuracy at this stage, the easier it will be to speak, listen, and write naturally later on.

2. Using 去 in Sentence Patterns

The verb 去 (qù) is essential in Chinese sentence construction because it allows you to express movement, intention, or planned action in a wide range of everyday situations. Once you understand how 去 functions in sentence patterns, you’ll unlock the ability to talk about going places, doing things in the future, and navigating conversations naturally.

Basic Structure: Subject + 去 + Location

This is one of the most common and beginner-friendly patterns using 去. It expresses movement from one place to another.

Structure:

[Subject] + 去 + [Place]

Examples:

• 我去学校。 (Wǒ qù xuéxiào.)
  I go to school.
• 他们去超市。(Tāmen qù chāoshì.)
  They go to the supermarket.

Using 去 to Indicate Future Intention

When combined with modal and time expressions, 去 often shows future plans or desires. This is typical in HSK2–3 usage and beyond.

Compound Structure: 去 + Verb (Go Do Something)

In many contexts, 去 can also be followed by another verb directly, indicating going to do that activity.

Structure:

[Subject] + 去 + [Action Verb or Verb Phrase]

Examples:

• 我们去吃饭吧。(Wǒmen qù chīfàn ba.)
  Let’s go eat.
• 他去买东西了。(Tā qù mǎi dōngxi le.)
  He went shopping.

This type of pattern is very common in spoken Chinese and helps you express action + intention concisely.

Sentence Forms: Affirmative / Negative / Questions

You can easily form natural conversations and express daily routines just by modifying the subject, time, and location while keeping 去 as the core verb.

II. Difference Between 去 (qù) and 来 (lái)

In Mandarin Chinese, two of the most frequently used motion verbs are 去 (qù) and 来 (lái)—meaning “to go” and “to come,” respectively. While both are directional verbs and often appear in similar types of sentences, their usage depends entirely on the speaker’s perspective.

Understanding when to use 去 and when to use 来 is essential for clear, natural communication in real-life situations.

The distinction between 去 and 来 is based on the relative location of the speaker or listener.

• Use 去 when the subject is moving away from the current location.
  你去哪儿？ (Where are you going — away from here)
• Use 来 when the subject is coming toward the speaker’s current location.
  他来我们家了。 (He has come to our house)

Visual Example: Who’s Going Where?

Imagine you are speaking from the classroom.

• 我去学校 (Wǒ qù xuéxiào) → I’m going to the school (you’re not at the school yet).
• 我来学校了 (Wǒ lái xuéxiào le) → I came to the school (you’re arriving or already there).

Always ask yourself: → "Is the subject moving toward or away from me (the speaker)?"

Tips for Learners

• 来 (lái) describes movement toward the speaker’s current or implied location.
• 去 (qù) describes movement away from where the speaker is standing or speaking.
• In many longer conversations, you’ll switch between them depending on the viewpoint of the speaker vs. listener.

Mastering this distinction will help you speak more naturally, especially in everyday situations like making plans, giving directions, or answering questions about movement.

III. Common Collocations and Everyday Expressions with 去

Once you’ve learned the basic meaning and grammatical patterns of 去 (qù), the next step is to explore how it combines with other words and expressions in daily usage. Since "qù" is such a core action verb, it appears frequently in collocations, fixed phrases, and even idiomatic expressions throughout Mandarin Chinese.

Everyday Collocations with 去

These collocations are commonly used in daily life, especially in spoken Mandarin. Most of them involve pairing 去 with a place or activity.

These phrase structures follow the pattern 去 + Verb / Activity, and they’re ideal for expanding your daily vocabulary.

Compound Words and Set Phrases with 去

Beyond verbs, 去 also appears in compound temporal words and other fixed expressions.

Although 去 literally means “to go,” in phrases like 去世 it takes on a figurative function and shows how the character is used metaphorically in Mandarin.

Grammar Note: The Role of 去 in Directional Complements

In more advanced usage, 去 functions as a directional complement, especially when combined with verbs of movement:

• 走 + 去 → 走过去 (zǒu guò qù) – to walk over (in a certain direction)
• 拿 + 去 → 拿过去 (ná guò qù) – to take something over there

These expressions help indicate the direction or result of an action.

Learning these everyday phrases and expressions will help you use 去 in real communication contexts, greatly improving the naturalness and fluency of your Mandarin.

Continue exploring Mandarin through everyday verbs like 去 (qù), essential sentence patterns, and natural expressions with PREP’s practical guides made for learners like you.