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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "to swim" in Chinese?
游泳
yóu yǒng
In Chinese, "to swim" is 游泳.
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Pronunciation
Say YOE (rising tone) then YONG (falling tone). The first syllable rises up, the second drops down sharply.
Writing and usage
Both characters share the water radical (氵) on the left side, signalling movement in or through water. 游 means 'to drift' and 泳 specifically means 'to swim'. Both are made up of eleven and eight strokes respectively.
Example sentence
每天我在游泳池里游泳。
Every day I swim in the swimming pool.
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How to remember 游泳
Both characters start with the water radical, so you instantly know this involves water. The rising then falling tones mimic the motion of swimming strokes.
Related words
- answer 接电话 jiē diàn huà
- to be 在 zài
- fly 飞 fēi
- give 给 gěi
- hit 打 dǎ
- make 打电话 dǎ diàn huà
- return 放回 fàng huí
- see 看 kàn
- wake up 醒 xǐng
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 游泳
How do you say "to swim" in Chinese?
In Chinese, "to swim" is 游泳. It is a noun.
How is 游泳 written in Chinese?
Both characters share the water radical (氵) on the left side, signalling movement in or through water. 游 means 'to drift' and 泳 specifically means 'to swim'. Both are made up of eleven and eight strokes respectively.
How is 游泳 used in a sentence?
Use 游泳 as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: 每天我在游泳池里游泳。 (Every day I swim in the swimming pool.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
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"To swim" in other languages
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