Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 健康 | jiànkāng |
| 身體 / 身体 | shēntǐ |
健康 is the most common and direct translation for health, covering both physical and mental well-being. It can be used to describe the state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness or malfunction.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 健康 (jiànkāng) is composed of 建 (jiàn), meaning to establish or build and 康 (kāng), meaning healthy or peaceful.
Which one should you use?
While both terms relate to health, 健康 is an abstract noun or adjective meaning 'health' or 'healthy'. In contrast, 身体 (shēntǐ) literally means 'body' and is often used to refer specifically to one's physical health status.
How does it change in a sentence?
健康 can function as both a noun ('health') and an adjective ('healthy') in a sentence. To use the word as an adverb meaning 'healthily', you can add the particle 地 after it to form 健康地.
How do you pronounce it?
jiànkāng
When do people say it?
When expressing well-wishes, you might say 祝您健康长寿 to wish someone good health and longevity. To tell someone to take care of themselves, you can use 请保重身体. To describe someone as energetic, lively or in good health in an informal way, you can use the phrase 有精神.
Did you know?
- Chinese culture often associates health with the concept of 气 ('qi'), an internal energy flow that must be unobstructed for a person to be 健康.
- The character 康 in 健康 is also the name of a famous Qing Dynasty emperor, the Kangxi Emperor, who was known for his longevity and vigor.
- In many Chinese contexts, 'health' is not just the absence of disease but is often discussed in terms of 'balance'. The components of words related to health often imply a structural or foundational stability.
Examples in context
- 父親很健康。The father is in good health.This sentence illustrates the use of 健康 to describe a person's state of being.Tatoeba #5497877 by xjjAstrus, translation #1835828 by Amastan
- 运动有益健康。Exercise is good for your health.This sentence shows how 健康 is used when discussing the benefits of exercise.Tatoeba #3289570 by sadhen, translation #26555 by CK
- 体育有益健康。Sport is good for your health.This sentence demonstrates the use of 健康 in the context of sports.Tatoeba #4265152 by notabene, translation #138726 by Ramses
- 91 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their new lifestyle habits.
- 伟 Wei你最近怎么开始跑步了？Nǐ zuìjìn zěnme kāishǐ pǎobù le?Why did you start running lately?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我想关注一下我的健康。Wǒ xiǎng guānzhù yīxià wǒ de jiànkāng.I want to pay more attention to my health.
- 伟 Wei这是一个好主意。Zhè shì yīgè hǎo zhǔyì.That is a good idea.
- 佳怡 Jiayi对，健康是最重要的。Duì, jiànkāng shì zuì zhòngyào de.Yes, health is the most important thing.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “health” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
