HomeChineseGlossary › smile

Chinese vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "smile" in Chinese?

微笑

wēi xiào

Verb Hanzi

In Chinese, "smile" is 微笑 (wēi xiào).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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

Pronunciation

It's spoken "wēi xiào" (first tone, then fourth tone), where held flat and steady, almost like humming one note; then the next syllable is snapping downward fast.

Writing and usage

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

Example sentence

她温暖地对宾客们微笑。

tā wēn nuǎn dì duì bīn kè men wēi xiào 。

She smiled warmly at the guests.

Test your Chinese knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember 微笑

Imagine the scene from "She smiled warmly at the guests" the moment you hear "wēi xiào".

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 微笑

How do you pronounce 微笑?

It's spoken "wēi xiào" (first tone, then fourth tone), where held flat and steady, almost like humming one note; then the next syllable is snapping downward fast.

Is 微笑 formal or casual?

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

How is 微笑 used in Chinese?

微笑 is used the same way as the equivalent English verb. For example: 她温暖地对宾客们微笑。 (She smiled warmly at the guests.).

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.

"Smile" 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.

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