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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "yawn" in Chinese?
打哈欠
dǎ hā qiàn
In Chinese, "yawn" is 打哈欠 (dǎ hā qiàn).
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Pronunciation
Say dǎ hā qiàn with "dǎ" dipped low then curled back up (third tone), then "hā" held flat and high (first tone), then "qiàn" snapped down sharply (fourth tone).
Writing and usage
打哈欠 is written using hanzi. It's a verb, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
这场冗长的讲座让我打了个哈欠。
zhè chǎng rǒng cháng de jiǎng zuò ràng wǒ dǎ le gè hā qiàn 。
The long lecture made me yawn.
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How to remember 打哈欠
Think of "dǎ hā qiàn" as sounding like "dah hah chyen": imagine yawn happening right as you say it.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 打哈欠
How do you pronounce 打哈欠?
Say dǎ hā qiàn with "dǎ" dipped low then curled back up (third tone), then "hā" held flat and high (first tone), then "qiàn" snapped down sharply (fourth tone).
Is 打哈欠 formal or casual?
打哈欠 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 打哈欠 used in Chinese?
打哈欠 is used the same way as the equivalent English verb. For example: 这场冗长的讲座让我打了个哈欠。 (The long lecture made me yawn.).
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.
"Yawn" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
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