verb HSK 1
to go · to leave · to depart
Meaning
去 is one of the most fundamental verbs in Mandarin, expressing movement away from the speaker's current location toward another place. It is the opposite of 来 (to come) and is used countless times daily in conversation to indicate going somewhere or leaving.
Usage
去 is typically followed by a place word or location. It's extremely common in everyday speech at all registers. Native speakers often use 去 + verb structures like 去吃饭 (go eat) or 去看电影 (go watch a movie). The 了 particle is often added for completed actions: 去了.
Examples
- 01我明天去北京。.I'm going to Beijing tomorrow.
- 02你去不去看电影？?Are you going to watch a movie or not?
Common collocations
- 去哪儿where are you going?
- 去年last year
- 过去the past, to go over
- 回去to go back
Antonyms
Origin
The character 去 originally depicted a person leaving a place, with the top portion representing a person and the bottom suggesting movement away.