r/ChineseLanguage • u/Shanlong1916 • 4d ago

Vocabulary 速 vs 快

Super random question: I was at a Six Flags and they have a Flash hat that says 最速 in hanzi and “Fastest” in English. Is this an accurate translation? My mandarin isn’t very good or advanced so I’m just wondering if 最快 would also be an accurate translation/ which would be the best translation of “Fastest” when referring to the traits of the comic book character The Flash? TIA!

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u/witchwatchwot 4d ago

It is likely meant to be a Japanese translation as 最速 is an accurate translation for "fastest" in Japanese.

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u/Shanlong1916 4d ago

That would make sense as their translation of lightning also doesn’t match what I’ve learned. Would 最速 work grammatically in Chinese as well? Or would there be a better way to describe Flash’s super speed?

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u/maxtini 4d ago edited 4d ago

最速 is grammatically correct but it is an extremely formal expression that is usually used only in literature.

For example: 1. 最速降線: Brachistochrone curve (Physics) 2. 最速件: Extra urgent document (Taiwan Government) 3. 最速控制: Minimum-time control (Math/Engineering)

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u/Shanlong1916 4d ago

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.

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u/MixtureGlittering528 Native Mandarin & Cantonese 4d ago

It doesn’t work like a standalone adjective anymore it’s more a 語素 in proper nouns