風箏 / 风筝
fēngzhēng
The English phrase 'kite' is translated into Chinese as 風箏 / 风筝 (fēngzhēng). If unsure, use 風箏 / 风筝. Wiktionary also lists 風槎 / 风槎 (fēngchá) and 風鳶 / 风鸢 (fēngyuān).
Meaning: lightweight toy for flying (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 風箏 / 风筝 | fēngzhēng | |
| 風槎 / 风槎 | fēngchá | |
| 風鳶 / 风鸢 | fēngyuān | |
| 鷂子 / 鹞子 | yàozi | |
| 紙鳶 / 纸鸢 | zhǐyuān | |
| 風箏 / 风筝 | hong-cheng | Hokkien |
| 響弓 / 响弓 | hiáng-keng, hióng-keng | Hokkien |
| 風吹 / 风吹 | hong-chhoe, hong-chhe | Hokkien |
| 狂吹 | kông-chhoe, kông-chhe | Hokkien |
| 籐牛 / 藤牛 | tîn-gû | Hokkien |
To express the action of flying a kite, you can use the verb 放 (fàng), which means 'to release' or 'to let go', combined with the noun. Common ways to say 'to fly a kite' include using 放風箏 / 放风筝, 放風吹 / 放风吹 or 放紙鳶 / 放纸鸢.
Which one should you use?
風箏 / 风筝 is the most common, standard term for a kite in modern Chinese. In contrast, 紙鳶 / 纸鸢 is a more formal or literary term for a kite, literally meaning 'paper kite'. The Hokkien language offers several specific terms including 風箏 / 风筝, 響弓 / 响弓, 風吹 / 风吹, 狂吹 and 籐牛 / 藤牛.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien, several terms are used: 風箏 / 风筝, 響弓 / 响弓, 風吹 / 风吹, 狂吹 and 籐牛 / 藤牛.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
hong-cheng
Did you know?
- The character 箏 in 風箏 originally referred to a traditional plucked zither. This reflects the ancient practice of adding bamboo whistles to kites to make them sing in the wind.
- In some traditions, Chinese kites are intentionally cut loose and allowed to fly away. This is sometimes done as a ritual to let go of bad luck or illness.
- Ancient Chinese kites were used for military purposes, such as signaling troops or measuring distances for tunnels. They were seen as strategic tools long before they were children's toys.
Examples in context
- 我喜欢放风筝。I enjoy flying kites.
- 今天我们去放纸鹞吧！Let's go fly kites today!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kite” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
