其实 (qí shí) is an adverb meaning 'actually' or 'in fact'. It’s used to introduce a statement that corrects, clarifies, or contrasts with what was previously assumed, said, or implied — often softening a contradiction or revealing a surprising truth. The character 其 (qí) is a classical pronoun meaning 'its', 'his', or 'that', and 实 (shí) means 'real', 'true', or 'substance'; together, they literally convey 'that reality', evolving into a discourse marker for factual correction.

This word frequently appears at the beginning of a sentence or clause, especially in spoken Chinese, to gently qualify or revise earlier information — for example, after someone makes an assumption, you might say 其实… to reveal the actual situation. It carries a neutral-to-polite tone and is widely appropriate in both casual and formal contexts, though it’s more common in speech than formal writing.