How to Say “Nearly / Almost” with 几乎 (jīhū)
几乎 (jīhū) is the neutral “nearly / almost”: it stresses that something is very close to a point, a degree, or a total. It sits before the subject for “almost all/none” (几乎每个人都…, 几乎没有人…), and before the predicate for “almost [done]” or “hardly ever” (几乎看完了, 几乎不喝酒). Unlike 差点, it's about proportion and degree, not a single near-miss.
Why this trips learners up
几乎 (jīhū) means “nearly / almost.” It's the neutral, everyday word for saying something is very close to a point, a degree, or a total, and it works in two positions that a word list won't separate for you. What ties them together is that 几乎 always sits right before whatever it's measuring the closeness of, whether that's a quantity of people or a predicate. It's more even-toned than 差点 (which we'll get to): 几乎 reports how near to complete or total something is, without the “phew, that was close” drama.
Position 1: before the subject, for proximity to a total. Here 几乎 teams up with a totality word, 每 / 所有 / 全, plus 都: 几乎 + 每/所有/全 + Noun + 都 … (几乎每个学生都参加了, “almost every student took part”; 几乎所有的菜都很辣, “almost all the dishes are spicy”). The 都 is essential, it sums up the “all,” and it stays even though 几乎 softens the total to “almost all.” For the opposite end, “almost none,” 几乎 pairs with 没有: 那天几乎没有人来 (“almost no one came that day”).
Position 2: before the predicate. The frame is Subject + 几乎 + [不 / 没 +] Predicate. With a plain verb it means “almost [done]”: 这本小说我几乎看完了 (“I've almost finished this novel”), 岛上几乎全是倒下的树 (“the island is almost entirely fallen trees”). With 不 or 没 it becomes “hardly ever,” and this is a key use: 几乎不 describes a habit, not a one-off. 我妹妹几乎不吃甜的 means “my sister hardly ever eats sweets,” and 这几年他几乎没回过老家 means “these past few years he's barely gone back home.” So 几乎 stretches from “almost all” through “almost finished” to “hardly ever.”
The word to keep 几乎 apart from is 差点 (chàdiǎn), which also translates as “almost” but does a different job, spelled out in the comparison below. 差点 marks a single near-miss, one specific event you narrowly avoided or only just missed, usually with a flash of relief or regret: 我差点迟到了 (“I was almost late, but made it”), 我差点摔倒 (“I almost fell”). The two don't swap freely. Only 几乎 does “almost all/none” (几乎所有…都) and habitual “hardly ever” (几乎不); 差点 can't touch those. And where 几乎摔倒 flatly says you came close to falling, 差点摔倒 adds the “phew, but I didn't.” When you mean a proportion, a degree, or a habit, it's 几乎; when you mean a close call, it's 差点.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
jīhū 几乎 Pattern měi gè 每个 Measure word xuésheng 学生 Subject dōu 都 Adverb cānjiā 参加 Verb le 了 Function word
Almost every student took part (几乎 + 每 + 都: proximity to a total).
zhè jiā diàn 这家店 Place jīhū 几乎 Pattern suǒyǒu de cài 所有的菜 Subject dōu 都 Adverb hěn 很 Adverb là 辣 Adjective
Almost every dish at this shop is spicy (几乎 + 所有…都).
nà tiān 那天 Time jīhū 几乎 Pattern méiyǒu 没有 Negation rén 人 Subject lái 来 Verb
Almost no one came that day (几乎 + 没有 = “almost none”).
zhè běn xiǎoshuō 这本小说 Object wǒ 我 Subject jīhū 几乎 Pattern kàn wán 看完 Verb le 了 Function word
I've almost finished this novel (几乎 + verb + 了, “almost done”).
tā tài jǐnzhāng le 他太紧张了， Other jīhū 几乎 Pattern shuō bù chū huà 说不出话 Verb
He was so nervous he could hardly get a word out (几乎 + a potential complement).
wǒ mèimei 我妹妹 Subject jīhū 几乎 Pattern bù 不 Negation chī 吃 Verb tián de 甜的 Object
My little sister hardly ever eats sweets (几乎 + 不, a habit).
zhè jǐ nián 这几年 Time tā 他 Subject jīhū 几乎 Pattern méi 没 Negation huí 回 Verb guo 过 Function word lǎojiā 老家 Object
These past few years he's barely been back to his hometown (几乎 + 没 + verb + 过).
táifēng guò hòu 台风过后， Other dǎo shàng 岛上 Place jīhū 几乎 Pattern quán 全 Adverb shì 是 Verb dǎo xià de shù 倒下的树 Object
After the typhoon, the island was almost entirely fallen trees (几乎 + 全 = “almost entirely”).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: 几乎 is an adverb, so it goes directly before whatever it modifies, the quantity word or the predicate, never at the end. It's 几乎每个人都有手机 (“almost everyone has a phone”), not 每个人都有手机几乎.
Why it happens: In the pre-subject frame, 几乎 teams up with a totality word (每 / 所有 / 全) and keeps 都 before the verb. It's 几乎所有人都同意 (“almost everyone agrees”), not 几乎所有人同意. The 都 sums up the “all,” and it doesn't drop just because 几乎 softens it to “almost.”
Why it happens: For a habit, “hardly ever,” use 几乎不 / 几乎没, not 差点. 我老板几乎不喝酒 means “my boss hardly ever drinks”; 差点不喝酒 would mean “almost didn't drink (on one occasion),” not a habit at all. 差点 is for a single near-miss; 几乎 covers the habitual “barely.”
Compare & contrast
| 几乎 jīhū (nearly / almost: proximity to a degree, a total, or “hardly ever”) | 差点 chàdiǎn (almost: a single near-miss, narrowly avoided or just missed) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 几乎所有人都同意了jīhū suǒyǒu rén dōu tóngyì le = “almost everyone agreed” (几乎 + 所有…都, proximity to a total); 差点 can’t say “almost all” | 我差点迟到了wǒ chàdiǎn chídào le = “I was almost late, but made it” (差点: one near-miss, with relief); 几乎 wouldn’t carry the “phew, avoided it” | 几乎所有人都同意了 means “almost everyone agreed,” 几乎 measuring closeness to a total with 所有…都. 差点 can't do “almost all.” 我差点迟到了 means “I was almost late, but made it,” 差点 marking a single near-miss you're relieved you avoided; 几乎迟到 would just state you came close, without the “phew.” |
| 他几乎不看电视tā jīhū bù kàn diànshì = “he hardly ever watches TV” (几乎 + 不, a habit); 差点不看电视 makes no sense | 我差点摔倒wǒ chàdiǎn shuāidǎo = “I almost fell, but didn’t” (差点: a narrowly-avoided event); 几乎摔倒 states only that you came close, flatter | 他几乎不看电视 means “he hardly ever watches TV,” 几乎 + 不 describing a habit; 差点不看电视 makes no sense. 我差点摔倒 means “I almost fell, but didn't,” 差点 marking a narrowly-avoided event; 几乎摔倒 flatly states you came close to falling, more neutral and without the near-miss feeling. |
Try it yourself
Say “Almost everyone was late.” Use 几乎 + 每个人 + 都 + verb.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “Nearly / Almost” with 几乎 (jīhū) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.