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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "swim" in Chinese?
游泳
yóu yǒng
In Chinese, "swim" is 游泳 (yóu yǒng).
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Pronunciation
The pinyin "yóu yǒng" takes second tone, then third tone, meaning rising sharply, the way your voice lifts when you ask "what?"; then the next syllable is dipping low then curling back up.
Writing and usage
游泳 is written using hanzi. It's a verb, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
她喜欢在海里游泳。
tā xǐ huān zài hǎi lǐ yóu yǒng 。
She likes to swim in the sea.
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How to remember 游泳
Attach "yóu yǒng" to the exact scene of when she likes to swim in the sea; the pairing is hard to forget.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 游泳
How do you pronounce 游泳?
The pinyin "yóu yǒng" takes second tone, then third tone, meaning rising sharply, the way your voice lifts when you ask "what?"; then the next syllable is dipping low then curling back up.
Is 游泳 formal or casual?
游泳 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 游泳 used in Chinese?
游泳 is used the same way as the equivalent English verb. For example: 她喜欢在海里游泳。 (She likes to swim in the sea.).
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.
"Swim" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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