好久 hǎo jiǔ
“quite a while”
numeral2021 list level 2
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
好久 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 664: 好久 hǎojiǔ — Level 3; official annotation 3 (形). PDF page 96
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 好久
好久 means 'a long time' and is typical of spoken Chinese. Frequent patterns are 好久不见, 好久没 + verb + 了 (好久没吃火锅了), and verb + 好久 (等了你好久). It describes a stretch of time, not a point in time.
例句Example sentences
- 好久不见，你最近怎么样？hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn, nǐ zuì jìn zěn me yàng?Long time no see—how have you been lately?
- 他好久没回家了，妈妈很想他。tā hǎo jiǔ méi huí jiā le, mā ma hěn xiǎng tā.He hasn't been home for a long time, and his mother misses him a lot.
- 我在门口等了好久，你才出来。wǒ zài mén kǒu děng le hǎo jiǔ, nǐ cái chū lái.I waited at the entrance for ages before you finally came out.
易混词Easily confused
好久vs很久
很久 and 好久 are close in meaning; 很久 is neutral and fine in writing (很久以前), while 好久 is more colloquial and very often appears in 好久不见 / 好久没……了.