Chinese symbol for “perhaps”
也许
yě xǔ
Traditional: 也許
perhaps; maybe
The closest CC-CEDICT match for perhaps is 也许 (yě xǔ), defined as: perhaps; maybe.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Other Chinese words for “perhaps”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 或许 (或許) | huò xǔ | perhaps; maybe |
| 或 | huò | maybe; perhaps |
| 可能 | kě néng | might (happen); possible |
| 兴许 (興許) | xīng xǔ | (coll.) perhaps |
| 怕 | pà | to be afraid; to fear |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 也许.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 再也 | zài yě | (not) ever again; (not) any longer |
| 也就是说 (也就是說) | yě jiù shì shuō | in other words; that is to say |
| 也好 | yě hǎo | that's fine; may as well |
| 也罢 (也罷) | yě bà | (reduplicated) whether... or...; never mind |
| 空空如也 | kōng kōng rú yě | as empty as anything (idiom); completely bereft; to have nothing |
| 许多 (許多) | xǔ duō | many; a lot of |
| 允许 (允許) | yǔn xǔ | to permit; to allow |
| 或许 (或許) | huò xǔ | perhaps; maybe |
See also: Japanese symbol for “perhaps”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.