huò
zhě
(Mandarin)
(Cantonese)

HSK 3

Dictionary

or/possibly; maybe; perhaps

Examples

你想喝茶或者咖啡?

Nǐ xiǎng hē chá huòzhě kāfēi?

Do you want to drink tea or coffee?

他可能迟到了,或者根本就没来。

Tā kěnéng chídào le, huòzhě gēnběn jiù méi lái.

He might be late, or maybe he didn't come at all.

这件事或者还有转机。

Zhè jiàn shì huòzhě hái yǒu zhuǎnjī.

Perhaps there is still a chance for this matter to turn around.

Did You Know?

Grammar

Word Formation

或 means 'maybe' and 者 means 'person/thing'.

Usage Tips

或者 is used for options in statements (咖啡或者茶 = coffee or tea), while 还是 is used in questions (咖啡还是茶?= coffee or tea?).