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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "blink" in Chinese?
眨眼
zhǎ yǎn
In Chinese, "blink" is 眨眼 (zhǎ yǎn).
Listen to the pronunciation:
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Pronunciation
zhǎ yǎn lands correctly when you use "zhǎ" dipped low then curled back up (third tone), then "yǎn" dipped low then curled back up (third tone).
Writing and usage
眨眼 is written using hanzi. It's a verb, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
明亮的光让他眨了眨眼。
míng liàng de guāng ràng tā zhǎ le zhǎ yǎn 。
The bright light made him blink.
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How to remember 眨眼
Think of "zhǎ yǎn" as sounding like "jah yahn": imagine blink happening right as you say it.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 眨眼
How do you pronounce 眨眼?
zhǎ yǎn lands correctly when you use "zhǎ" dipped low then curled back up (third tone), then "yǎn" dipped low then curled back up (third tone).
Is 眨眼 formal or casual?
眨眼 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 眨眼 used in Chinese?
眨眼 is used the same way as the equivalent English verb. For example: 明亮的光让他眨了眨眼。 (The bright light made him blink.).
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.
"Blink" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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