当然 (dāngrán) — of course; certainly

当然 (dāngrán)

当然 expresses that something is obvious, expected, or goes without saying. It functions like "of course," "naturally," or "certainly" in English and typically appears at the start of a sentence or before a verb.

Meanings

1. [adverb] Of course; naturally; certainly. Indicates that the statement is self-evident or expected.

Example Sentences

你能来吗？— 当然能！ Nǐ néng lái ma? — Dāngrán néng! Can you come? — Of course I can!

当然，我很喜欢吃中国菜。 Dāngrán, wǒ hěn xǐhuan chī Zhōngguó cài. Of course, I love eating Chinese food.

学好一门语言当然需要时间。 Xué hǎo yī mén yǔyán dāngrán xūyào shíjiān. Of course, learning a language well takes time.

他当然不知道，你又没告诉他。 Tā dāngrán bù zhīdào, nǐ yòu méi gàosu tā. Of course he doesn't know — you never told him.

Collocations

Memory Hook

当 means "at that moment/as it is" and 然 means "so/thus." 当然 literally means "as it naturally is" — of course things are this way, it is obvious.