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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "wait" in Chinese?
等等
děng děng
In Chinese, "wait" is 等等 (děng děng).
Listen to the pronunciation:
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Pronunciation
děng děng comes out with "děng" dipped low then curled back up (third tone), then "děng" dipped low then curled back up (third tone).
Writing and usage
等等 is written using hanzi. It's a verb, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
请在这里稍等。
qǐng zài zhè lǐ shāo děng 。
Please wait here for a moment.
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How to remember 等等
"děng děng" sounds a little like "dung dung" in English, so picture wait to lock in the connection.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 等等
How do you pronounce 等等?
děng děng comes out with "děng" dipped low then curled back up (third tone), then "děng" dipped low then curled back up (third tone).
Is 等等 formal or casual?
等等 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 等等 used in Chinese?
等等 is used the same way as the equivalent English verb. For example: 请在这里稍等。 (Please wait here for a moment.).
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.
"Wait" in other languages
Curated by Callan 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. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
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