可不是

kěbùshì
interjection HSK 7-9

Meanings

  1. 1 exactly
  2. 2 that's right
  3. 3 isn't that so

Characters

Literally 'isn't it so?' — used to strongly agree, meaning 'exactly!'

Examples

今天!」「可不是冻坏。」
" Jīntiān zhēn lěng a! " " Kěbùshì ma, wǒ dōu dònghuài le. "
"It's really cold today!" "Exactly! I'm freezing."
" Zhège háizi yuèláiyuè dǒngshì le. " " Kěbùshì, zhǎngdà le bùshǎo. "
"This child is becoming more and more sensible." "That's right, he's grown up a lot."

Tips

usage
可不是 is a conversational expression used to strongly agree with what someone just said. It's very colloquial and natural in spoken Chinese. Often followed by (可不是) for emphasis.
memory
Think of it as a rhetorical question: 'Isn't it (exactly like you said)?' — of course it is! That's the agreement.

Stroke Order

shì