# 可以
## Chinese
### Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): kěyǐ, kèi
       (Zhuyin): ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˇ, ㄎㄟˋ
    (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): ko$^3$ yi$^3$
    (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): кәйи (kəyi, II-III)
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): ho$^2$ ji$^5$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): ho$^2$ yi$^4$
* Hakka (Sixian, PFS): khó-yî
* Eastern Min (BUC): kō̤-ī
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): khó-í / khóⁿ-í
    (Teochew, Peng'im): ko$^2$ in$^2$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$khu-i
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: kěyǐ [Phonetic: kéyǐ]
*** Zhuyin: ㄎㄜˇ ㄧˇ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: kěyǐ
*** Wade–Giles: kʻo$^3$-i$^3$
*** Yale: kě-yǐ
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: keeyii
*** Palladius: кэи (kɛi)
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻³⁵ i²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
** (Standard Chinese, colloquial)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: kèi
*** Zhuyin: ㄎㄟˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: kèi
*** Wade–Giles: kʻei$^4$
*** Yale: kèi
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: key
*** Palladius: кэй (kɛj)
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰeɪ̯⁵¹/
** (Chengdu)
*** Sichuanese Pinyin: ko$^3$ yi$^3$
*** Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: koj
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰo⁵³ i⁵³/
** (Dungan)
*** Cyrillic and Wiktionary: кәйи (kəyi, II-III)
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰə⁵¹ i⁴⁴/
    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: ho$^2$ ji$^5$
*** Yale: hó yíh
*** Cantonese Pinyin: ho$^2$ ji$^5$
*** Guangdong Romanization: ho$^2$ yi$^5$
*** Sinological IPA : /hɔː³⁵ jiː¹³/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: ho$^2$ yi$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /hᵘɔ⁵⁵ ji²¹/
* Hakka
** (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: khó-yî
*** Hakka Romanization System: ko$^ˋ$ i$^ˊ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: ko$^3$ yi$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /kʰo³¹ i²⁴/
** (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: khó-yî
*** Hakka Romanization System: ko$^ˋ$ (r)i$^ˊ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: ko$^3$ yi$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /kʰo³¹ (j)i²⁴/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: kō̤-ī
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰo³³⁻³⁵ i³³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khó-í
*** Tâi-lô: khó-í
*** Phofsit Daibuun: qoyie
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /kʰɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ i⁴¹/
*** IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /kʰo⁵³⁻⁴⁴ i⁵³/
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khóⁿ-í
*** Tâi-lô: khónn-í
*** Phofsit Daibuun: qvofie
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /kʰɔ̃⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ i⁵⁵⁴/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: ko$^2$ in$^2$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: khó íⁿ
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰo⁵²⁻³⁵ ĩ⁵²⁻²¹/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^5$khu-i
*** MiniDict: khu$^去$ i
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^2$khu-i
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /kʰu³³ i⁴⁴/

### Verb

可以
* can; may
    你不可以走。 ― Nǐ bù kěyǐ zǒu. ― You may not leave.
       Zhèlǐ kěyǐ pāizhào ma? [Pinyin]
       May I take pictures here?
    From: 新標點和合本 (Chinese Union Version with New Punctuation), 約翰福音 (John) 1:7
    Zhè rén lái, wèi yào zuò jiànzhèng, jiùshì wèi guāng zuò jiànzhèng, jiào zhòngrén yīn tā kěyǐ xìn. [Pinyin]
    The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
* can; to be able to
       Wǒ zài nǎr kěyǐ nòng dào diànhuàkǎ? [Pinyin]
       Where can I get a telephone card?
       Xiànzài kēxué kěyǐ shuōmíng xǔduō shénmì de shì. [Pinyin]
       Science can now account for many mysterious things.
       Gēnjù tā de kǒuyīn kěyǐ pànduàn chū tā kěnéng láizì Xiàjiāng dìqū. [Pinyin]
       From his accent we can infer that he maybe is from the downstream area of the Yangtze River.
* ... can be used to ... (usually with ellipsed 之 (zhī, “this”)); literally: 可 (“can”) + 以 (“by; by means of; according to”)
    棉花可以織布／棉花可以织布 ― miánhuā kěyǐ zhībù ― cotton can be used to weave cloth (lit. cotton, (one) can by this weave cloth)
    水可以發電／水可以发电 ― shuǐ kěyǐ fādiàn ― water can be used to generate electricity (lit. water, (one) can by this generate electricity)
    From: Mencius, c. 4th century BCE
    Wǔ mǔ zhī zhái, shù zhī yǐ sāng, wǔshí zhě kě yǐ yī bó yǐ. [Pinyin]
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
    From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4th century BCE
    Zhōng zhī shǔ yě, kě yǐ yī zhàn. Zhàn zé qǐng cóng. [Pinyin]
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
    From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
    Tā shān zhī shí, kě yǐ wèi cuò. [Pinyin]
    The stones from other mountains, can be used as sharpening stones (lit. can make sharpening stones by them)
* (aviation, Mainland China) to clear; to give clearance
    From:
    kěyǐ qǐfēi [Pinyin]
    cleared for takeoff

#### Synonyms

| Variety | Location | Words |
| Classical Chinese | Classical Chinese | 可, 可以, 得 |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 可, 可以, 得 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 可以 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Malaysia | 可以 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 可以 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 可以, 得 > |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 可以, 得 > |
| Cantonese | Taishan | 可以 |
| Cantonese | Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) | 可以 |
| Cantonese | Singapore (Guangfu) | 可以 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 做得 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 做得 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 做得, 可以, 使得 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 做得 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 使得, 做得 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 做得 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 會用 |
| Hakka | Kuching (Hepo) | 做得 |
| Hakka | Singapore (Dabu) | 做得 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 使得, 會使得 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 會使 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 會使, 會當, 會做, 會用, 會用得, 會得, 會得通, 會通, 通 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 會做, 會做得, 會用, 會用得, 會得, 會得通, 會通, 通 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 會使, 會當, 會用, 會用得, 會得, 會得通, 會通, 通 |
| Southern Min | Taipei | 會使, 會當 |
| Southern Min | New Taipei (Sanxia) | 會使, 會當 |
| Southern Min | Kaohsiung | 會用得, 會使, 會當 |
| Southern Min | Yilan | 會使, 會當 |
| Southern Min | Changhua (Lukang) | 會使, 會當 |
| Southern Min | Taichung | 會用得, 會使得 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 會用得, 會使, 會當, 會得, 會得通, 通 |
| Southern Min | Hsinchu | 會用得, 會使 |
| Southern Min | Kinmen | 會使, 會當 |
| Southern Min | Penghu (Magong) | 會使, 會當 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 會, 會使 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 會使, 會做, 會用, 會得, 會當, 會通 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 會做, 會用, 會用得, 會做得 |
| Southern Min | Medan (Hokkien) | 會使 |
| Southern Min | Chaozhou | 可以 |
| Southern Min | Jieyang | 好, 可以 |
| Southern Min | Haifeng | 會得 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Teochew) | 會使, 會得 |
| Southern Min | Wenchang | 可以 |
| Southern Min | Qionghai | 可以 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hainanese) | 可以 |
| Zhongshan Min | Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi) | 得 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 好, 可以 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 好 |
| Wu | Ningbo | 好 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 做得, 可以得 |
| Note | > - used after the verb | > - used after the verb |
| Variety | Location | Words |
| Classical Chinese | Classical Chinese | 能 |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 能, 能夠, 可以 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 能, 能夠, 可以 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Malaysia | 能 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 能, 能夠, 可以 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 可以 |
| Hakka | Kuching (Hepo) | 得 |
| Eastern Min | Singapore (Fuqing) | 會 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 會, 會使 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 會, 會使 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 會, 會通 |
| Zhongshan Min | Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi) | 得, 可以 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 好 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 好 |
| Wu | Ningbo | 好 |

#### See also

* 得以 (déyǐ)

### Adjective

可以
* passable; pretty good; not bad; all right; OK
       Nǐ xiūxi jiù kěyǐ le. [Pinyin]
       If you rest a while, you'll be alright.
* to a great extent
    From: 朱自清, 《回來雜記》
    Zhè zhēn xián dé kěyǐ. [Pinyin]
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
* capable; remarkable
    你小子可以啊。 ― Nǐ xiǎozǐ kěyǐ a. ― You (affectionate) are remarkable.

### Derived terms

* 不可以 (bùkěyǐ)
* 可以意會，不可言傳／可以意会，不可言传
* 只要目的正當，可以不擇手段／只要目的正当，可以不择手段 (zhǐyào mùdì zhèngdàng, kěyǐ bùzéshǒuduàn)
* 唔可以
* 還可以／还可以 (háikěyǐ)

## Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term :
| 可 | 以 |

### Verb

可以
* chữ Hán form of khả dĩ (“possible”).