湖
hú/xu³⁵/
The English word "lake" is translated into Chinese as 湖 (hú).
Meaning: body of water (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 湖 | hú | /xu³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /fu²¹/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 湖 | ô͘ | /ɔ¹³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) /ɔ²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Sinological IPA, Taipei, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
| 湖泊 | ô͘-phiak | /ɔ²⁴⁻²² pʰiak̚⁵/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Quanzhou, Sinological IPA) /ɔ²³⁻³³ pɤʔ⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Sinological IPA, Kaohsiung, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
This term refers to a body of water.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Dungan, the word for lake is хэзы. In Hokkien, you can use either 湖 or 湖泊.
How do you pronounce it?
The Hokkien form 湖 is pronounced as ô͘.
Did you know?
- The Dungan word хэзы uses the Cyrillic alphabet to write a language based on Chinese, reflecting the influence of the Soviet Union on Central Asian communities.
- Chinese distinguishes between a natural lake 湖 and a man-made reservoir 水库, whereas English often uses 'lake' for both.
- In Chinese culture, the 'West Lake' 西湖 in Hangzhou is so famous that the word 湖 often evokes this specific location and its traditional poetry.
Examples in context
- 这湖里有许多鱼。Fish abound in this lake.This sentence shows how to describe fish being in the 湖.Tatoeba #2029376 by ydcok, translation #59360 by shekitten
- 陽光在湖面上閃爍。Sunlight sparkled on the lake.This sentence describes sunlight on the surface of the 湖.Tatoeba #11031488 by User106598, translation #11031418 by sundown
- 那片湖裡有很多魚。There are a lot of fish in that lake.This sentence is useful for stating there are many fish in a particular 湖.Tatoeba #13573251 by LeviHighway, translation #1123672 by CK
- Wǒmen zài Hángzhōu de Xī Hú wánle yī tiān (我们在杭州的西湖玩了一天)We had a great day exploring West Lake in Hangzhou.
- 61 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is planning a weekend trip.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen浩然，我們去湖邊野餐好嗎？hào rán, wǒ men qù hú biān yě cān hǎo ma?Haoran, shall we have a picnic by the lake?
- 浩然 Haoran好啊，曉雯，我帶水果去。hǎo a, xiǎo wén, wǒ dài shuǐ guǒ qù.Sure, Xiaowen, I will bring some fruit.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那湖邊的風景一定很美。nà hú biān de fēng jǐng yī dìng hěn měi.The scenery by the lake must be beautiful.
- 浩然 Haoran我非常期待這次旅行。wǒ fēi cháng qī dài zhè cì lǚ xíng.I am really looking forward to this trip.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lake” translations and entries 湖, 湖, 湖泊, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
