Home › Chinese › Glossary › to read
Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "to read" in Chinese?
读
dú
In Chinese, "to read" is 读.
Listen to the pronunciation:
Free Chinese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games
Pronunciation
Say DOO with a rising tone. The pitch lifts upward in a single syllable.
Writing and usage
The character has ten strokes and contains the 'eye' radical (目), suggesting the action of looking at written material. It is one of the most common characters in Chinese.
Example sentence
我读这本书。
I read this book.
Test your Chinese knowledge in our free browser games.
How to remember 读
The eye radical is right there in the middle of the character, reminding you of the visual act of reading.
Related words
- climb up 爬 pá
- eat 吃 chī
- get up 起身 qǐ shēn
- return 放回 fàng huí
- shoot 射 shè
- shower 洗澡 xǐ zǎo
- switch off 关掉 guān diào
- talk 说 shuō
- think 想 xiǎng
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 读
How do you say "to read" in Chinese?
In Chinese, "to read" is 读. It is a noun.
How is 读 written in Chinese?
The character has ten strokes and contains the 'eye' radical (目), suggesting the action of looking at written material. It is one of the most common characters in Chinese.
How is 读 used in a sentence?
Use 读 as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: 我读这本书。 (I read this book.).
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.
"To read" 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.
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