How do you say "actor" in Chinese?

演员

yǎn yuán

Noun Hanzi

In Chinese, "actor" is 演员 (yǎn yuán).

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Pronunciation

Read it out as "yǎn yuán", "yǎn" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3), then "yuán" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2).

Writing and usage

演员 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

演员排练台词。

yǎn yuán pái liàn tái cí 。

The actor rehearsed his lines.

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How to remember 演员

Say "yǎn yuán" out loud three times fast — the repetition alone tends to cement "演员" (yǎn yuán) in memory.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 演员

How do you pronounce 演员?

Read it out as "yǎn yuán", "yǎn" is dipping down and curling back up (tone 3), then "yuán" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2).

Is 演员 formal or casual?

演员 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is 演员 used in Chinese?

演员 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 演员排练台词。 (The actor rehearsed his lines.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Actor" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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