皮划艇
píhuátǐng
The English term kayaking is translated into Mandarin as 皮划艇 (píhuátǐng).
皮划艇 refers to the water sport of kayaking.
Meaning: water sport (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the action of 'kayaking' as a verb, you often add the verb 划 (to paddle/row) before the noun 皮划艇.
How do you pronounce it?
píhuátǐng
When do people say it?
The phrase 祝你划得愉快 means 'Happy kayaking' (literally 'Wish you paddle happily').
Did you know?
- The character 划 (huá) is used in the term 划水, which is modern internet slang for 'slacking off' or doing the bare minimum at work while pretending to be busy.
- The term 皮划艇 contains the character 皮, meaning 'skin' or 'leather', which refers to the historical construction of kayak hulls from animal hides.
- The character 划 describes the physical motion of the paddle, but it is also used in the phrase 划算, which means 'to be a good deal' or 'cost-effective'.
Example sentences for Mandarin are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Two friends are planning a weekend trip to a lake.
- 浩然 Haoran我们要去湖边玩皮划艇吗？Wǒmen yào qù húbiān wán píhuátǐng ma?Should we go kayaking by the lake?
- 雨婷 Yuting好主意，我一直想尝试。Hǎo zhǔyì, wǒ yīzhí xiǎng chángshì.Great idea, I've always wanted to try it.
- 浩然 Haoran雨婷，你有救生衣吗？Yǔtíng, nǐ yǒu jiùshēngyī ma?Yuting, do you have a life jacket?
- 雨婷 Yuting没有，我们可以租一个。Méiyǒu, wǒmen kěyǐ zū yīgè.No, we can rent one.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kayaking” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
