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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "play" in Chinese?
玩
wán
In Chinese, "play" is 玩 (wán).
Listen to the pronunciation:
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Pronunciation
Native speakers give wán a questioning upward swing, the pitch climbing from mid to high, since this single syllable carries the second tone.
Writing and usage
玩 is written using hanzi. It's a verb, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
孩子们在花园里玩耍。
hái zi men zài huā yuán lǐ wán shuǎ 。
The children play in the garden.
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How to remember 玩
Picture play while you say "wán" — the sound rhymes loosely with "wahn", which is your cue to think of play.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 玩
How do you pronounce 玩?
Native speakers give wán a questioning upward swing, the pitch climbing from mid to high, since this single syllable carries the second tone.
Is 玩 formal or casual?
玩 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 玩 used in Chinese?
玩 is used the same way as the equivalent English verb. For example: 孩子们在花园里玩耍。 (The children play in the garden.).
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.
"Play" 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.
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