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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "wake" in Chinese?
醒来
xǐng lái
In Chinese, "wake" is 醒来 (xǐng lái).
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Pronunciation
When you say xǐng lái, lead with "xǐng" dipped low then curled back up (third tone), then "lái" pushed upward like a question (second tone).
Writing and usage
醒来 is written using hanzi. It's a verb, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
我工作日早起。
wǒ gōng zuò rì zǎo qǐ 。
I wake up early on weekdays.
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How to remember 醒来
Hold this scene in mind: wake, paired tightly with the sound "xǐng lái" — that's the whole trick.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 醒来
How do you pronounce 醒来?
When you say xǐng lái, lead with "xǐng" dipped low then curled back up (third tone), then "lái" pushed upward like a question (second tone).
Is 醒来 formal or casual?
醒来 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 醒来 used in Chinese?
醒来 is used the same way as the equivalent English verb. For example: 我工作日早起。 (I wake up early on weekdays.).
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.
"Wake" 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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