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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "to try" in Chinese?

尝试

cháng shì

Noun Hanzi

In Chinese, "to try" is 尝试.

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Pronunciation

Say CHANG (rising tone) then SHIR (falling tone). First rises, second drops down.

Writing and usage

Two characters combine. 尝 has thirteen strokes and means to taste or sample. 试 has thirteen strokes meaning to try.

Example sentence

我尝试了这个。

I tried this.

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How to remember 尝试

尝 originally referred to tasting. 试 means to try or test. Together they suggest attempting something new.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

See more verbs.

See more verbs.

See more verbs.

Questions about 尝试

How do you say "to try" in Chinese?

In Chinese, "to try" is 尝试. It is a noun.

How is 尝试 written in Chinese?

Two characters combine. 尝 has thirteen strokes and means to taste or sample. 试 has thirteen strokes meaning to try.

How is 尝试 used in a sentence?

Use 尝试 as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: 我尝试了这个。 (I tried this.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

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"To try" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

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