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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "to take (a photo)" in Chinese?
拍
pāi
In Chinese, "to take (a photo)" is 拍.
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Pronunciation
Say PAY with a flat, high tone. Keep the pitch steady and high.
Writing and usage
The character has eight strokes with a hand radical (手) on the left, showing the action of holding a camera.
Example sentence
我拍了一张照片。
I took a photo.
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How to remember 拍
The hand radical indicates using your hands to operate a camera. Think of raising your hands with a camera to your eye.
Related words
- blossom 开花 kāi huā
- climb up 爬 pá
- end 告终 gào zhōng
- exercise 锻炼 duàn liàn
- leave 离开 lí kāi
- listen 听 tīng
- say 说 shuō
- stick 贴 tiē
- wake up 醒 xǐng
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 拍
How do you say "to take (a photo)" in Chinese?
In Chinese, "to take (a photo)" is 拍. It is a noun.
How is 拍 written in Chinese?
The character has eight strokes with a hand radical (手) on the left, showing the action of holding a camera.
How is 拍 used in a sentence?
Use 拍 as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: 我拍了一张照片。 (I took a photo.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
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"To take (a photo)" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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