吻
wěn/wən²¹⁴/
In Chinese, the word for "kisses" is 吻 (wěn).
The word 吻 refers to the act of touching someone with the lips to show love or affection. While 吻 is the core term, the compound verb 亲吻 is more commonly used in written or formal contexts to describe the act of kissing.
Which one should you use?
亲吻 is the formal term used to express the concept. For a more playful or cute expression of "kisses," you can use 亲亲, which is used in very informal, cute or intimate settings. If you want to specifically mean the gesture of "blow a kiss," use 飞吻. For a very lighthearted, cute and childish way to say "kisses," you can use 啵啵.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the phrase 親親 is the equivalent of the Mandarin 亲亲.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word 吻 can function as both a noun and a verb.
How do you pronounce it?
wěn
Did you know?
- Some linguists believe 吻 may be historically related to the Burmese word မုတ်, which means 'mouth'.
- In traditional Chinese culture, public displays of affection like 吻 were historically rare and considered private. This is why many different terms evolved to describe kissing discreetly or playfully.
- The phrase 亲亲 is an example of reduplication, where a character is repeated to create a 'cute' or 'childish' tone. This linguistic pattern is common in Chinese to soften the meaning of a word.
Examples in context
- 晚安，飞吻！Goodnight, kisses!
- 我好想親親你I really want to kiss you.
- 他在她的额头上留下了一个吻。He left a kiss on her forehead.
- 他给了孩子一个吻。Tā gěile háizi yīgè wěn.He gave the child a kiss.
Example conversation
A couple is saying goodbye at the train station.
- 梓涵 Zihan你要走了吗？Nǐ yào zǒu le ma?Are you leaving now?
- 伟 Wei是的，我该走了。Shì de, wǒ gāi zǒu le.Yes, I should go.
- 梓涵 Zihan在走之前，给我一个吻吧。Zài zǒu zhīqián, gěi wǒ yī gè wěn ba.Give me a kiss before you go.
- 伟 Wei没问题，亲爱的。Méi wèntí, qīn'ài de.No problem, honey.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 吻, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 吻, CC BY-SA 4.0.
