起来 (qǐ lai) — to stand up in Mandarin

lai
to stand up

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#190 most common word · HSK 4 · CEFR B2

Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.

Tone breakdown

起来 is pronounced qǐ lai. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.

third tone (low dipping, ˇ)
lai
neutral tone (light & unstressed)

In a sentence

Tā zǎoshang qī diǎn qǐlai.

He gets up at 7 o'clock in the morning.

Hear it, then say it right

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Frequently asked questions

What does 起来 mean?+

起来 (qǐ lai) means "to stand up" in Mandarin Chinese.

How do you pronounce 起来?+

起来 is pronounced qǐ lai. It uses the tone 3 (rising/dipping). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.

How common is 起来 in Mandarin?+

起来 is the #190 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.

Where 起来 fits

HSK 4 · CEFR B2
See the full HSK 4 vocabulary list

Every HSK 4 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.

Words at a similar frequency

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Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.