運動 / 运动
The English word 'exercise' is translated into Cantonese as 運動 / 运动.
The term 運動 / 运动 refers to physical activity intended to improve strength and fitness. It can also be used more broadly to mean movement or motion in a physical or mechanical sense. To say 'to do exercise', it is typical to use the verb 'do' (做) with the noun, forming the phrase 做運動.
Meaning: physical activity intended to improve strength and fitness (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 運動 / 运动 can mean physical exercise, it can also refer to broader movement or motion. If you are referring specifically to training or working out to build strength or endurance, you can use 鍛鍊. For sports-related exercise, the formal term 體育鍛煉 is used.
Did you know?
- Beyond physical activity, 運動 can describe a large scale social or political 'movement', such as a student protest or a civil rights campaign.
- The character 運 in 運動 relates to 'luck' or 'fate', as it originally described the movement of celestial bodies affecting human destiny.
- While 運動 is general, the term 鍛鍊 carries a connotation of 'tempering' metal, suggesting the person is hardening their body like steel.
Examples in context
- 你平時會唔會做運動？Do you usually exercise?
- 我地一齊去公園運動下啦！Let's go to the park for some exercise!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “exercise” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
