又 vs. 再: Two Ways to Say “Again” in Chinese

Learn when to look back with 又 and when to look forward with 再

Here are two everyday sentences:

tā zuótiān yòu chídào le.
他昨天又迟到了。
He was late again yesterday.

míngtiān zài lái ba.
明天再来吧。
Come again tomorrow.

Both 又 (yòu) and 再 (zài) can be translated as “again,” but they usually point in different directions in time:

• 又 usually looks back at something that has already happened again, or has already started happening again.
• 再 usually looks forward to something that will happen again later.
• This is a useful beginner rule, but it is not an absolute past-versus-future rule. Later in this article, you will see why 又 can also appear with future events in patterns such as 又要……了.

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Quick Comparison

The last two rows are additional uses of 又 and 再. Each one is explained below.

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1. 又: Something Happened Again

又 is commonly used when an action or situation has already repeated.

Pattern: Subject + 又 + Verb + 了

tā yòu lái le.
他又来了。
He came again. / He is here again.

wǒ yòu wàng le.
我又忘了。
I forgot again.

jīntiān yòu xiàyǔ le.
今天又下雨了。
It rained again today. / It is raining again today.

tā zuótiān yòu chídào le.
他昨天又迟到了。
He was late again yesterday.

又 often appears with 了, because the repeated action has happened or the repeated situation has appeared. But 又 does not always need 了:

tā yòu gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà.
他又给我打电话。
He called me again.

Whether 了 appears depends on the sentence and on what the speaker wants to say.

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2. 又 Can Express Surprise, Annoyance, or Recognition

Sometimes 又 carries a feeling. The speaker may be surprised, pleased, frustrated, or simply noticing that something has happened once more.

nǐ zěnme yòu chídào le?
你怎么又迟到了？
Why are you late again?

nǐ yòu lái le.
你又来了。
You’re here again.

zhè jiā diàn yòu dǎzhé le.
这家店又打折了。
This store is having another sale.

Tone of voice and context decide whether these sound happy, surprised, or annoyed.

Note: “你怎么又……？” can sound critical or impatient, so pay attention to your tone when you use it.

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3. 再: Doing Something Again Later

再 is commonly used when the repeated action has not happened yet. It refers to the future, the next time, or an additional action.

Pattern: Subject + 再 + Verb

míngtiān zài lái ba.
明天再来吧。
Come again tomorrow.

wǒ xiǎng zài qù yí cì.
我想再去一次。
I want to go again.

wǒmen xià cì zài liáo.
我们下次再聊。
Let’s talk again next time.

nǐ kěyǐ zài shì yí cì.
你可以再试一次。
You can try again.

In each sentence, the second time is still in the future when the speaker says it.

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4. 再 + Verb + 一次 or 一遍

These two are both very useful:

• 一次 (yí cì) counts how many times an action happens.
• 一遍 (yí biàn) usually emphasizes doing something from beginning to end — especially speaking, reading, listening, watching, writing, or checking.

qǐng zài shuō yí biàn.
请再说一遍。
Please say it again.

wǒ xiǎng zài kàn yí biàn zhè bù diànyǐng.
我想再看一遍这部电影。
I want to watch this movie again.

nǐ kěyǐ zài shì yí cì.
你可以再试一次。
You can try one more time.

wǒmen zài liànxí yí biàn.
我们再练习一遍。
Let’s practise it one more time.

Learner tip: When you ask someone to repeat a sentence, say 请再说一遍, not 请又说一遍.

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5. How to Say “Don’t Do It Again”

Pattern: 别再 + Verb + 了 / 不要再 + Verb + 了

bié zài wàng le.
别再忘了。
Don’t forget again.

bié zài chídào le.
别再迟到了。
Don’t be late again.

bú yào zài wán shǒujī le.
不要再玩手机了。
Don’t use your phone anymore.

bú yào zài mǎi le.
不要再买了。
Don’t buy any more.

We use 再 here because the speaker wants to stop the action from happening again in the future.

A related pattern is 再也不……, which means “never…again”:

wǒ zài yě bù áoyè le.
我再也不熬夜了。
I will never stay up late again.

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6. 先……再……: First…, Then…

再 does not always translate as “again.” In the pattern 先……再……, it means “then” or “after that.”

Pattern: 先 + Action 1，再 + Action 2

wǒmen xiān chīfàn, zài zǒu.
我们先吃饭，再走。
Let’s eat first, then leave.

nǐ xiān xiūxi yíxià, zài gōngzuò.
你先休息一下，再工作。
Rest for a while first, then work.

wǒ xiān kàn yí biàn, zài huídá wèntí.
我先看一遍，再回答问题。
I’ll read it first and then answer the questions.

Here, 再 introduces the second action.

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7. Important Exception: 又 Can Talk About the Future

The simple rule “又 is past, 再 is future” is helpful, but it is not completely accurate. 又 can appear with a future event when the speaker sees it as one more repetition of something that keeps happening.

A very common pattern is:

又要 + Verb + 了

míngtiān yòu yào xiàyǔ le.
明天又要下雨了。
It is going to rain again tomorrow.

wǒ míngtiān yòu yào jiābān le.
我明天又要加班了。
I have to work overtime again tomorrow.

xià ge xīngqī yòu yào kǎoshì le.
下个星期又要考试了。
We have another test next week.

• These events are in the future.
• 又 is used because the speaker treats them as repeated situations.
• These sentences often carry a feeling such as frustration, surprise, or anticipation.

Compare:

wǒ míngtiān xiǎng zài qù nà jiā cāntīng.
我明天想再去那家餐厅。
I want to go to that restaurant again tomorrow.

míngtiān wǒ yòu yào qù nà jiā cāntīng le.
明天我又要去那家餐厅了。
I’m going to that restaurant again tomorrow.

The first sentence presents a future choice. The second presents the visit as another repeated event, and it may carry more emotion or emphasis.

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8. A Different Use of 又: 又……又……

又……又…… does not mean “again.” It means “both…and…” and connects two qualities or actions.

Pattern: 又 + Adjective 1 + 又 + Adjective 2

zhè jiā cāntīng yòu piányi yòu hǎochī.
这家餐厅又便宜又好吃。
This restaurant is both inexpensive and delicious.

tā yòu cōngming yòu nǔlì.
他又聪明又努力。
He is both smart and hardworking.

zhège fángjiān yòu dà yòu liàng.
这个房间又大又亮。
This room is both large and bright.

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9. 又 or 再? Compare Them Directly

tā zuótiān yòu lái le.
他昨天又来了。
He came again yesterday.

tā míngtiān huì zài lái.
他明天会再来。
He will come again tomorrow.

wǒ yòu kàn le yí biàn.
我又看了一遍。
I watched it again.

wǒ xiǎng zài kàn yí biàn.
我想再看一遍。
I want to watch it again.

tā yòu wàng le.
他又忘了。
He forgot again.

tíxǐng tā bié zài wàng le.
提醒他别再忘了。
Remind him not to forget again.

• Use 又 when the repeated action has happened, is happening, or is treated as a repeating situation.
• Use 再 when the repeated action is still a plan, request, instruction, or future possibility.

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10. Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using 再 for a completed past action

❌ tā zuótiān zài chídào le. 他昨天再迟到了。

✅ tā zuótiān yòu chídào le.
他昨天又迟到了。
He was late again yesterday.

Mistake 2: Using 又 for a simple future request

❌ qǐng yòu shuō yí biàn. 请又说一遍。

✅ qǐng zài shuō yí biàn.
请再说一遍。
Please say it again.

Mistake 3: Using 又 after 想 for a future plan

❌ wǒ xiǎng yòu kàn yí cì. 我想又看一次。

✅ wǒ xiǎng zài kàn yí cì.
我想再看一次。
I want to watch it again.

Mistake 4: Believing 又 can never describe the future

✅ míngtiān yòu yào shàngbān le.
明天又要上班了。
I have to work again tomorrow.

This is correct, because working tomorrow is seen as another repeated situation.

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11. Everyday Dialogue

Lily:
zhè jiā cāntīng zhēn hǎochī, wǒ xiǎng zài lái yí cì.
这家餐厅真好吃，我想再来一次。
This restaurant is really good. I want to come again.

Ray:
nǐ shàng ge xīngqī bú shì gāng láiguo ma?
你上个星期不是刚来过吗？
Didn’t you just come here last week?

Lily:
duì a, wǒ jīntiān yòu lái le.
对啊，我今天又来了。
Yes, and I came again today.

Ray:
nǐ míngtiān hái yào lái ma?
你明天还要来吗？
Are you coming again tomorrow?

Lily:
hāhā, míngtiān bù lái le, xià ge xīngqī zài lái.
哈哈，明天不来了，下个星期再来。
No, not tomorrow. I’ll come again next week.

• 想再来 is a future wish.
• 又来了 describes something that has already happened again.
• 下个星期再来 refers to the next visit in the future.

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Make It Personal

Complete these sentences about your own life, then say them out loud:

• 我昨天又________了。
• 今天又________了。
• 我想再________一次。
• 请再________一遍。
• 下次我们再________。
• 别再________了。
• 我先________，再________。
• 又________又。

Want to compare more pairs that learners often mix up? Read 想 vs. 要. Many 又 sentences end with 了 — learn more in How to Use 了 and Sentence-Final 了.

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Key Takeaways

• Use 又 when something has already happened again or is happening again.
• Use 再 when something will happen again later.
• Use 再 + verb + 一次/一遍 for “one more time.”
• Use 别再……了 or 不要再……了 to say “don’t do it again.”
• Use 先……再…… to say “first…, then…”
• 又 can describe a future repeated situation in 又要……了.
• 又……又…… means “both…and…” and is a separate pattern.

Don’t worry if you still mix them up sometimes — even advanced learners do. Each time you notice yourself choosing between 又 and 再, ask one question: has it already happened again, or will it happen again? With a little practice, the answer will come naturally. For more sentence-building drills, visit Sentence Pattern Practice.

Next Grammar Topic: 了 vs. 过: Completed Actions and Life Experiences in Chinese