注意
zhùyì/ʈ͡ʂu⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵¹/
The English phrase 'pay attention' is translated into Chinese as 注意 (zhùyì).
注意 is used to describe the act of listening or watching carefully to avoid missing important information. It can function in two ways: as an active process of paying attention to something, or as a passive observation meaning 'to notice' something.
Which one should you use?
While 注意 is a general term for paying attention or noticing, other phrases offer specific nuances. 请集中注意力 is used when you want to emphasize the act of concentrating or focusing one's attention. In contrast, 请留意 and 留意一下 focus more on 'taking notice' of something.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the concept of paying attention is commonly expressed using 留意. In Taiwanese Hokkien, the word 注意 is often used to convey the same meaning.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 注意 can be used directly with an object to mean 'pay attention to [something]'.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is zhùyì and the IPA is /ʈʂu⁵¹⁻⁵³ i⁵¹/.
Did you know?
- While 注意 is used for general attention, Chinese has a specific term 走神 for the opposite state, literally meaning 'the spirit has gone walking'.
- The character 注 originally referred to pouring water, suggesting a mental flow or 'pouring' of one's focus into a subject.
- In public spaces, you will often see 注意 on warning signs, where it functions as a one-word equivalent to 'Caution' or 'Warning'.
Examples in context
- 请注意这个重要概念Please pay attention to this important concept
- 请留意我将在下面的幻灯片中展示更多数据Please take notice as I will present more data on the following slides
- 注意！对手在你后面Pay attention! The opponent is behind you!
- 注意安全Pay attention to safety / stay safe
- 请注意听老师说话。Qǐng zhùyì tīng lǎoshī shuōhuà.Please pay attention to what the teacher is saying.
- 开车的时候要多注意路况。Kāichē de shíhòu yào duō zhùyì lùkuàng.You should pay more attention to road conditions when driving.
- 你没注意看路标吗？Nǐ méi zhùyì kàn lùbiāo ma?Did you not pay attention to the road signs?
Example conversation
A teacher is giving instructions to a student in a classroom.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你要多注意课堂规则。Nǐ yào duō zhùyì kètáng guīzé.You need to pay more attention to the classroom rules.
- 伟 Wei对不起，我会注意的。Duìbuqǐ, wǒ huì zhùyì de.I am sorry, I will pay attention.
- 佳怡 Jiayi下次不要再分心了。Xiàcì bùyào zài fēnxīn le.Don't be distracted next time.
- 伟 Wei好的，佳怡老师。Hǎo de, Jiāyí lǎoshī.Okay, Teacher Jiayi.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 注意, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
