還, 再 and 又: Three Ways to Say "Again"

Three words, three time directions. 又 (yòu) repeats something that has already happened: 他昨天又遲到了, “he was late again yesterday”. 再 (zài) repeats something still to come: 請再說一次, “please say it once more”. 還 (hái) is mostly “still” or “in addition”: 他還在睡, “he is still asleep”; 還有一個問題, “there is one more question”. English has one word, “again”, for the first two, so the choice has to be learned as a rule about time.

This guide gives the rule, the extra jobs each word does, and the errors worth catching early. It follows 過 vs 了, since 又 pairs with 了, and sits near 就 and 才, another pair of small adverbs that carry a view of timing.

The short version

Word	Time	Core meaning	Example
又	Already happened	Again, a repeat of the past	今天又下雨了。 It rained again today.
再	Not yet happened	Again, a repeat in the future	我明天再來。 I’ll come again tomorrow.
還	Ongoing or extra	Still, yet, in addition	我還沒吃飯。 I haven’t eaten yet.

又: it happened again

Use 又 (yòu) when the repeat is a fact. The sentence is usually marked with 了.

• 他昨天又遲到了。 (Tā zuótiān yòu chídào le.) He was late again yesterday.
• 今天又下雨了。 (Jīntiān yòu xià yǔ le.) It rained again today.
• 你怎麼又忘記帶鑰匙了？ (Nǐ zěnme yòu wàngjì dài yàoshi le?) How come you forgot your keys again?

Notice the feeling: 又 often carries mild surprise or annoyance, because the repeat was not wanted. That nuance is part of the word. 今天又下雨了 is a sigh.

又 in a predictable cycle

There are a few set patterns where 又 looks ahead, because the repeat is certain by a schedule or a routine.

• 明天又是星期一了。 (Míngtiān yòu shì xīngqí yī le.) Tomorrow is Monday again.
• 明天又要上班了。 (Míngtiān yòu yào shàngbān le.) Tomorrow I have to go to work again.

These work because the speaker feels the repeat as already settled. For a plain future plan, still use 再.

又 … 又 …: both at once

又 can also link two qualities that hold together.

• 這家店又便宜又好吃。 (Zhè jiā diàn yòu piányi yòu hǎochī.) This place is cheap and tasty.
• 她又聰明又努力。 (Tā yòu cōngmíng yòu nǔlì.) She is clever and hardworking.

再: again, still ahead

再 (zài) points forward. It attaches to requests, plans and conditions, and it is the one you use when asking someone to repeat.

• 請再說一次。 (Qǐng zài shuō yí cì.) Please say it once more.
• 我明天再來。 (Wǒ míngtiān zài lái.) I’ll come back tomorrow.
• 我想再來一碗。 (Wǒ xiǎng zài lái yì wǎn.) I’d like another bowl.
• 我們下次再見。 (Wǒmen xià cì zài jiàn.) Until next time.

再 as “then”

A second job is sequence: do one thing, then the next.

• 我吃完飯再去。 (Wǒ chī wán fàn zài qù.) I’ll go after I’ve eaten.
• 先想一想，再決定。 (Xiān xiǎng yi xiǎng, zài juédìng.) Think first, then decide.
• 明天再說。 (Míngtiān zài shuō.) Let’s talk about it tomorrow.

The last one, “let’s deal with it tomorrow”, is a very common way to put something off.

再 with 不 and 也

• 我不再抽菸了。 (Wǒ bú zài chōuyān le.) I don’t smoke any more.
• 再貴我也要買。 (Zài guì wǒ yě yào mǎi.) However expensive it is, I’m buying it.

不再 (bú zài) is “no longer”, a decision about the future. 再 … 也 … means “no matter how …”.

還: still, yet, in addition

還 (hái) is not really “again”. It has three common jobs.

Still. 他還在睡覺。 (Tā hái zài shuìjiào.) He’s still asleep. 你還記得我嗎？ (Nǐ hái jìde wǒ ma?) Do you still remember me?

Not yet (還沒). 我還沒吃飯。 (Wǒ hái méi chī fàn.) I haven’t eaten yet. 他還沒回來。 (Tā hái méi huílai.) He hasn’t come back yet.

Again, in the future. 我明天還來。 (Wǒ míngtiān hái lái.) I’ll come again tomorrow. 歡迎下次還來。 (Huānyíng xià cì hái lái.) Welcome back next time. This 還 treats the repeat as a continuation of a pattern, and it is common in everyday speech. For a plain request or plan, 再 remains the default.

In addition. 我還有一個問題。 (Wǒ hái yǒu yí ge wèntí.) I have one more question. 他會說中文，還會說台語。 (Tā huì shuō Zhōngwén, hái huì shuō Táiyǔ.) He speaks Chinese, and also Taiwanese.

Set phrases are worth knowing too: 還好 (hái hǎo) “not bad” or “luckily”, and 還可以 (hái kěyǐ) “okay”. MOE glosses 還好 as 尚可 and as 幸好, and 還可以 as 尚且可以.

還 also appears in comparison for emphasis: 他比我還高 (Tā bǐ wǒ hái gāo), “he is even taller than me”.

Reading note: 還 as an adverb is hái. As a verb meaning “give back”, it is huán, as in 還錢 (huán qián), “repay money”. The MOE dictionary lists both, plus xuán.

Choosing quickly

Ask three questions.

1. Has the repeat happened already? Use 又.
2. Is the repeat in the future, a request or a plan? Use 再.
3. Do you mean “still” or “in addition”? Use 還.

For “once more” requests, the pattern is 再…一次 (請再說一次). For “one more serving”, 再來一碗 is the idiom at a food stall.

Common errors

• Using 再 for a past repeat: ✗ 我昨天再吃了牛肉麵。 is ungrammatical. Say 我昨天又吃了牛肉麵.
• Using 又 for a request: ✗ 請又說一次。 is ungrammatical. Say 請再說一次.
• Dropping 了 with 又 in a past report: 今天又下雨 is usually heard with 了, as 今天又下雨了.
• Using 還 for a past “again”: 他還遲到了 is read as “he was also late” and does not mean “late again”. For a past repeat, use 又.
• Using 再 for “not yet”: ✗ 我再沒吃飯。 is ungrammatical. (再也沒, “never again”, is a separate pattern: 我再也沒吃過.) Say 我還沒吃飯.

A note on combining them

They can stack. 我還想再去一次 (Wǒ hái xiǎng zài qù yí cì) means “I still want to go once more”. 還 sets the “still want”, 再 sets the “once more”. It is natural, and one of the clearest ways to practise both together.

Practice

Choose 又, 再 or 還.

1. 你可以___說一次嗎？ (Can you say that once more?)
2. 他今天___忘了帶手機。 (He forgot his phone again today.)
3. 我___沒決定去哪裡。 (I haven’t decided where to go yet.)
4. 這個週末我想___去一次夜市。 (This weekend I want to go to a night market again.)

Answers: 1. 再 2. 又 3. 還 4. 再

Related reading

• 過 vs 了: 了 is the usual partner of 又.
• 就 and 才: small adverbs that signal early or late timing.
• Does Chinese Have Tenses?: how context and adverbs replace tense.