可以 (kěyǐ) is the third of Mandarin's "can" words, and the one about permission: it's allowed, it's OK to, you may. Where 会 is about a learned skill and 能 is about capacity and circumstance, 可以 is about whether the rules, the social situation, or the person in charge permit the action. English blurs all three under can — "Can you swim?" (skill), "Can you make it tomorrow?" (circumstance), "Can I sit here?" (permission) — so the single most valuable habit you can build is to ask which kind of "can" is this? before you speak. When it's "am I allowed," it's 可以.
可以 for permission
The heart of 可以 is granting or asking permission. Someone with the authority — a rule, a host, a teacher, a parent — makes the action OK. This is the "may" of everyday life.
你可以走了。
nǐ kěyǐ zǒu le
You may go now. (neutral) — granting permission; the 了 marks 'now, at this point'.
老师，我可以问一个问题吗？
lǎoshī, wǒ kěyǐ wèn yí ge wèntí ma?
Teacher, may I ask a question? (polite) — asking permission from someone in authority.
这儿可以抽烟吗？
zhèr kěyǐ chōuyān ma?
Can I smoke here? (informal) — really asking 'is smoking allowed here?'
That smoking question is pure permission: you're not doubting your ability to light a cigarette — you're asking whether the place allows it. This is the tell for 可以. If the real question is "is it against the rules / would anyone mind," you want 可以.
未满十八岁不可以喝酒。
wèi mǎn shíbā suì bù kěyǐ hē jiǔ
Under-18s may not drink alcohol. (formal, a rule) — 不可以 states what's forbidden.
可以 for viable options and suggestions
Slightly softer than permission, 可以 also floats an option — "we could do X," "you could try Y." It says a course of action is available and reasonable, without pushing hard. This is where 可以 shades into gentle advice.
我们可以坐地铁去，比较快。
wǒmen kěyǐ zuò dìtiě qù, bǐjiào kuài
We could take the subway — it's faster. (informal) — presenting a viable option, not a command.
你可以试试这个方法。
nǐ kěyǐ shìshi zhège fāngfǎ
You could try this method. (neutral) — a soft suggestion; 可以 keeps it low-pressure.
The difference between "you could try" (可以试试) and "you should try / you must" is exactly the difference between offering an option and imposing one. 可以 offers.
可以 as a one-word answer: "sure"
Very usefully, 可以 on its own is the everyday "sure / that's fine / go ahead" — the standard positive reply to a permission request. You'll hear it constantly.
——我可以坐这儿吗？——可以。
— wǒ kěyǐ zuò zhèr ma? — kěyǐ
— Can I sit here? — Sure. (informal) — bare 可以 grants the permission.
借我看看，可以吗？
jiè wǒ kànkan, kěyǐ ma?
Lend it to me for a look — is that OK? (informal) — 可以吗 tacks a permission-check onto a request.
Here is a subtlety worth internalising: while "yes" to a permission question is 可以, the natural refusal is usually 不行 (bù xíng, "no can do / that won't fly") rather than 不可以. 不可以 is not wrong, but it sounds like laying down a rule ("that is not permitted"), which can feel heavy in casual talk. 不行 is the friendly "sorry, no."
——明天能来吗？——不行，我有事。
— míngtiān néng lái ma? — bù xíng, wǒ yǒu shì
— Can you come tomorrow? — No, I've got something on. (informal) — 不行 is the everyday refusal.
The overlap with 能, and how they differ
For requests and permission, 可以 and 能 often both work: 这里可以抽烟吗？ and 这里能抽烟吗？ are both natural ways to ask "can I smoke here?" The difference is one of angle. 可以 asks is it permitted? (rules, social OK); 能 asks is it possible / OK given the circumstances? Often these point at the same answer, which is why they're interchangeable so much of the time.
The split re-opens in the negative. 不可以 is a firm "not allowed" — a rule forbids it. 不能 is broader: "can't / mustn't," covering both a rule and a physical or circumstantial impossibility. So "you can't park here (it's forbidden)" is comfortably 不可以停车 or 不能停车, but "I can't come today (my mum's ill)" can only be 不能来 — there's no rule being broken, just a circumstance, and 不可以 would wrongly imply someone forbade you.
| Situation | 可以 | 能 |
|---|---|---|
| Asking permission (这里…拍照吗？) | ✓ is it allowed? | ✓ is it OK/possible? |
| Granting permission (你…走了) | ✓ natural | △ possible but less idiomatic |
| Stating a rule forbids it | ✓ 不可以 | ✓ 不能 |
| Circumstance blocks it (phone's dead) | ✗ | ✓ 不能 |
Common Mistakes
1. Using 不可以 to mean "unable." This is the number-one error. 不可以 means not allowed; it never means can't (by circumstance). For inability, use 不能.
❌ 我今天不可以来。
Wrong if you mean 'I can't make it today' — 不可以来 says 'I'm forbidden to come'. For a circumstance, use 不能来.
✅ 我今天不能来。
wǒ jīntiān bù néng lái
I can't come today. — a circumstance, so 不能.
2. Using 可以 for a learned skill. "I can speak French" (I learned it) is 会, not 可以. 可以 would mean "I'm permitted to speak French."
❌ 我可以说法语。
Wrong flavour — this says you're allowed to speak French; to claim the skill, use 会说法语.
✅ 我会说法语。
wǒ huì shuō Fǎyǔ
I can speak French. — a learned skill, so 会.
3. Refusing a request with a blunt 不可以. In casual conversation, "no" to a request is usually 不行; 不可以 sounds like you're issuing a regulation.
❌ ——我可以用一下你的电脑吗？——不可以。
Sounds heavy — like a posted rule. In casual speech, 不行 is the natural refusal.
✅ ——我可以用一下你的电脑吗？——不行，我正在用。
— wǒ kěyǐ yòng yíxià nǐ de diànnǎo ma? — bù xíng, wǒ zhèngzài yòng
— Can I use your computer for a sec? — Sorry, I'm using it right now. — 不行 is friendlier.
4. Dropping the object with 可以 as a full "can do." 可以 as a standalone reply means "sure"; used attributively (还可以) it means "not bad / OK," a different sense to keep separate.
❌ 这家餐厅的菜很可以。
Off — 很可以 isn't idiomatic here; to say 'pretty good' use 还可以, or just 不错.
✅ 这家餐厅的菜还可以。
zhè jiā cāntīng de cài hái kěyǐ
This restaurant's food is OK / not bad. — 还可以 is the fixed 'passable' expression.
Key Takeaways
- 可以 (kěyǐ) is the "can" of permission: allowed, OK to, may. Ask "am I allowed to?" — if yes, it's 可以.
- It also floats options and soft suggestions (你可以试试 "you could try") and answers a permission request as a one-word "sure" (可以).
- It overlaps with 能 for requests; 可以 = permitted, 能 = possible/circumstantially OK.
- 不可以 = not allowed (a rule), never "unable." For inability by circumstance, use 不能. For a casual "no," use 不行.
- It is not a learned skill (会). See the full three-way decision on the choosing 会 / 能 / 可以 page, and softened requests on the request politeness page.
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- 会 (huì): Learned Ability and LikelihoodHSK 1 — 会 (huì) covers two ideas English keeps apart: a learned skill — 我会游泳 'I can swim' — and a confident prediction about the future — 明天会下雨 'it'll rain tomorrow'. Negated 不会.
- 能 (néng): Capability and CircumstanceHSK 1 — 能 (néng) is 'can' in the sense the conditions allow it right now — physical capacity (我能搬这个箱子), circumstance (今天我不能来), and extent (能游一千米). Negated 不能 also forbids.
- Choosing 会 vs 能 vs 可以HSK 2 — English 'can' splits into three Mandarin words: 会 (learned skill / prediction), 能 (capacity or circumstance), 可以 (permission / allowed). One decision — skill, circumstance, or permission — tells you which.
- Softening Requests with Modal QuestionsHSK 3 — The politest way to ask for something in Chinese is to phrase it as a modal yes/no question — 可以…吗？能不能…？可不可以…？方便…吗？ Instead of ordering (帮我一下!), you ask about the listener's ability, permission, or convenience, which hands them an easy way to say no.