极了 (jí le) — extremely (suffix attached to adjectives, indic…

Definition

极了 attaches after an adjective (often with 得 or the adjective repeated) to mean 'extremely' — stronger than 很, more colloquial than the formal 非常.

particle

extremely (suffix attached to adjectives, indicating the highest degree)

极了！
Zhè ge cài hǎo chī jí le!
This dish is absolutely delicious!
极了。
Jīn tiān de fēng jǐng piào liang jí le.
Today's scenery is unbelievably beautiful.
极了，。
Tā gāo xìng jí le, yīn wèi ná dào le dì yī míng.
He was overjoyed because he got first place.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木及极

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree, wood

Sound part声符shēngfú

及

Same sound today

极 pairs 木 (tree, wood) with 及, which provides the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

了 was once drawn to show a baby with no arms; some old comments say it showed crossed or tangled legs.

Appears in