或者

Chinese

		maybe; perhaps; might maybe; perhaps; might; possibly; or	‑ist, ‑er (person); person (who does sth)
simp. and trad. (或者)		或	者

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): huòzhě
(Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄓㄜˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): waak⁶ ze²
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): fe̍t-chá
Min Dong (BUC): hĕ̤k-ciā
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): he̍k-chiá / hia̍k-chiá
(Teochew, Peng'im): hog⁸ zia²
Wu (Wiktionary): hhoq tse (T5)

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: huòzhě
  - Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄓㄜˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: huòjhě
  - Wade–Giles: huo⁴-chê³
  - Yale: hwò-jě
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huohjee
  - Palladius: хочжэ (xočžɛ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xwɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: waak⁶ ze²
  - Yale: waahk jé
  - Cantonese Pinyin: waak⁹ dze²
  - Guangdong Romanization: wag⁶ zé²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /waːk̚² t͡sɛː³⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fe̍t-chá
  - Hakka Romanization System: fed za`
  - Hagfa Pinyim: fed⁶ za³
  - Sinological IPA: /fet̚⁵ t͡sa³¹/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: hĕ̤k-ciā
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /høyʔ⁵⁻³³ t͡sia³³/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: he̍k-chiá
  - Tâi-lô: hi̍k-tsiá
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hegciar
  - IPA (Xiamen, Taipei): /hiɪk̚⁴⁻³² t͡ɕia⁵³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /hiɪk̚¹²¹⁻²¹ t͡ɕia⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /hiɪk̚⁴⁻³² t͡ɕia⁴¹/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hia̍k-chiá
  - Tâi-lô: hia̍k-tsiá
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hiagciar
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /hiak̚²⁴⁻² t͡ɕia⁵⁵⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: hog⁸ zia²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ho̍k tsiá
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hok̚⁴⁻² t͡sia⁵²/
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: hhoq tse (T5)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɦʊʔ¹¹ t͡se̞²³/

Conjunction

或者

or
A或者B ― A huòzhě B ― A or B

Usage notes

In Mandarin, 或者 is exclusively used in statements, while 還是／还是 (háishì) is only used in questions. The inclusion of 還是／还是 in a sentence replaces the need for 嗎／吗 (ma) as a question word.
In Cantonese, 或者 is exclusively used in statements, while 抑或 (jik1 waak6) or 定係／定系 (ding6 hai6) is only used in questions.

Synonyms

還是／还是 (háishì)
或是 (huòshì)
或 (huò)

Adverb

或者

perhaps; maybe
- 或者於某集，我可抬頭欣賞到你；或者一轉念便要失去你；或者轉折漸太多，遺忘怎擁抱你；或者擁緊偏已斷氣。 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
  或者于某集，我可抬头欣赏到你；或者一转念便要失去你；或者转折渐太多，遗忘怎拥抱你；或者拥紧偏已断气。 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]
  From: 連續劇 by Joey Yung
  waak⁶ ze² jyu¹ mau⁵ zaap⁶, ngo⁵ ho² toi⁴ tau⁴ jan¹ soeng² dou³ nei⁵; waak⁶ ze² jat¹ zyun² nim⁶ bin⁶ jiu³ sat¹ heoi³ nei⁵; waak⁶ ze² zyun² zit³ zim⁶ taai³ do¹, wai⁴ mong⁴ zam² jung² pou⁵ nei⁵; waak⁶ ze² jung² gan² pin¹ ji⁵ dyun⁶ hei³. [Jyutping]
  Maybe in a certain episode, I can lift my head up and admire you; maybe one second later I will lose you; maybe [I] have gone through too many things that [I] forgot how to embrace you; maybe [when I] hold [you] tightly, you have already breathed your last.
- 書桓，我們馬上去找方瑜，把這件事情告訴她。或者還來得及救她。 [MSC, trad.]
  书桓，我们马上去找方瑜，把这件事情告诉她。或者还来得及救她。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: 2001, 情深深雨濛濛 by Chiung Yao (10:00)
  Shūhuán, wǒmen mǎshàng qù zhǎo Fāng Yú, bǎ zhè jiàn shìqing gàosu tā. Huòzhě hái láidejí jiù tā. [Pinyin]
  Shuhuan, let's immediately go and visit Fang Yu, and tell her this affair. Maybe it is yet able to make it to save her.

Synonyms

edit

Synonyms of 或者

保不住 (bǎobuzhù) (colloquial)
保不定 (bǎobudìng) (colloquial)
可能 (kěnéng)
怕是 (pàshì)
指不定 (zhǐbùdìng)
搞不好 (gǎobùhǎo)
歉采 (Min Nan)
也許／也许 (yěxǔ)
保不齊／保不齐 (bǎobuqí) (colloquial)
備不住／备不住 (bèibuzhù) (regional)
凡勢／凡势 (hoān-sè) (Taiwanese Hokkien)
容許／容许 (róngxǔ) (literary)

怕係／怕系 (Hakka)
或許／或许 (huòxǔ)
殼張／壳张 (Wu, dated)
沒準兒／没准儿 (méizhǔnr) (colloquial)
興許／兴许 (xīngxǔ) (colloquial)
話勿出／话勿出 (Wu)
話唔埋／话唔埋 (Cantonese)
話唔定／话唔定 (Cantonese)
說不定／说不定 (shuōbùdìng)
講勿定／讲勿定 (Wu)
講唔定／讲唔定 (Cantonese)
難免／难免 (nánmiǎn)

Noun

或者

(Classical Chinese) some people

Korean

Hanja in this term
或	者

Noun

或者 • (hokja) (hangeul 혹자)

Hanja form^? of 혹자 (“some, someone, some people”).