How do you say "motivated" in Chinese?

动力

dòng lì

Adjective Hanzi

In Chinese, "motivated" is 动力 (dòng lì).

Listen to the pronunciation:

Free Chinese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games

Pronunciation

You'll want dòng lì to carry "dòng" snapped down sharply (fourth tone), then "lì" snapped down sharply (fourth tone).

Writing and usage

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

Example sentence

他感到更有动力去更努力学习。

tā gǎn dào gèng yǒu dòng lì qù gèng nǔ lì xué xí 。

He felt motivated to study harder.

Test your Chinese knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember 动力

Turn "dòng lì" into a tiny story about motivated — the sillier the mental image, the faster it sticks.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 动力

How do you pronounce 动力?

You'll want dòng lì to carry "dòng" snapped down sharply (fourth tone), then "lì" snapped down sharply (fourth tone).

Is 动力 formal or casual?

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

How is 动力 used in Chinese?

动力 is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: 他感到更有动力去更努力学习。 (He felt motivated to study harder.).

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.

"Motivated" in other languages

Curated by Callan 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.

Noun Town language-learning game on PC, Mac and VR

The full experience

Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR

These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.

See the full game ▶

Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town