hái
shi
(Mandarin)
(Cantonese)

還是 (Traditional: 還是)

HSK 2

Dictionary

still (as before)/had better/unexpectedly/or

Examples

我们还是坐地铁去吧,开车太堵了。

Wǒmen háishì zuò dìtiě qù ba, kāichē tài dǔ le.

We'd better take the subway, driving is too congested.

Did You Know?

Confusable

Word Formation

还 means 'still/yet' and 是 means 'to be'.

Usage Tips

还是 can mean 'or' in questions (你想喝茶还是咖啡?) or 'still' in statements (他还是学生). Don't confuse with 或者 (huòzhě) for 'or' in statements.