---
title: "Ningke Meaning: 宁可 (nìngkě) Means “would rather”"
description: "宁可 (traditional 寧可, nìngkě) means “would rather; better”. Hear its tones, see what 宁 and 可 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/ningke"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 宁可 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

宁可 nìngkě

## would rather; better

## Its characters

1. 宁 nìng would rather (as in 宁可)
2. 可 kě can

## In a sentence

我不想坐汽车去，宁可走去。 I don't want to go in the car. I would rather walk.

[More about 宁可](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%AE%81%E5%8F%AF)

## More words with 宁 or 可

- [必不可少 bìbùkěshǎo](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bibukeshao)
- [不可或缺 bùkě-huòquē](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bukehuoque)
- [不可思议 bùkě-sīyì](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bukesiyi)
- [即可 jíkě](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/jike)
- [可爱 kě’ài](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/keai)
- [可不是 kěbushì](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kebushi)
- [可见 kějiàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kejian)
- [可靠 kěkào](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kekao)
- [可口 kěkǒu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kekou)
- [可怜 kělián](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kelian)

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